


Captured (Split fanfiction)

by Keirayoruichi



Category: Split (2016), Split (2016) RPF
Genre: Angst, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Anxiety, But not that much, Casey is alone, Dissociative Identity Disorder, Eventual Happiness, F/M, Fluff, I'm an angst slut sorry, Kidnapping Casey only, Non-Graphic Violence, and SMUT, and even more angst, and when I mean slowburn I mean this burn is really slow, anxiety attack, hope you are prepared for the feels as well, idk how to tag so I'll leave this here, if you thought the angst is enough then nope, kind of sexual violence, or some sort, slowburn
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-08-27
Updated: 2017-12-24
Packaged: 2018-12-20 12:36:30
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 40
Words: 107,788
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11921046
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Keirayoruichi/pseuds/Keirayoruichi
Summary: "He managed to captured you twice....First by force, then by love."~~~~~~~- 1 man.- 1 girl.- 23 personalities.- And something evil. Something unexplainable. Something... supernatural.- - - - - - - - -| What would happen if Dennis kidnapped only 1 girl instead of 3 for the experiment?This unlucky ( or maybe lucky?) chosen one is you, and nobody can save you now.Is this the fate that you deserve? |//This story contains certain scenes, characters and references from the original Split movie by M. Night Shyamalan. I don't own anything but the kink and feels.//





	1. Chapter 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hey, Guys~!  
> So I decided to import my Split fanfic to here from Wattpad.  
> But I'm there as well with the same name Keirayoruichi, so if you wonder there then leave a message! Hope you'll enjoy my story ^_^
> 
> Also, since my end notes are from Wattapd as well, they might not make any sense here. Still, I leave them here to show you my original thoughts.:)

You found yourself in a small room as you opened your eyes. Your head hurt, you felt dizzy and the worst, you were totally alone without knowing where you were. But when you tried to think back, the memories suddenly rushed you down... yeah.. you were coming home from that boring party that you know Claire was forced to invite you for. And because your uncle couldn't come, you just went out to take the bus. Well at least, you tried. You left the restaurant and... and.. you don't remember. There was a man asked you the time, but then he attacked you. Yeah, this definitely happened... The next thing was that you've woken up here.

This flashback made your heart race, but you had to stay calm. This was not the right time for having a panic attack and you knew that. You swallowed uneasily, and sat up on the old bed, and looked around. One part of the room was shabby and tumble down, while the other was brand-new probably, especially with its snow white color.

This kind of contrast made you think. That man... he must have made this. This all then must have been planned for some bigger things. Maybe it would be the wisest to just wait until you'll know what exactly his plan...

The sudden opening of the steel door has distracted you from your thoughts. A skinhead man with glasses, wearing a plain stroked shirt has stepped into the room. He was carrying a chair which he placed in front of your bed. Taking out a handkerchief, he carefully swept the dust away from it. After that, he sat onto it with spread legs. He was looking at you through his glasses without saying anything, and this made you feel nervous. Feeling your heart racing, you didn't dare to look away. So you were just looking at each other in complete silence.

"I'm pretty sure you don't know why you are here." - he said finally, breaking the tension. "It's okay though, you'll get to know everything in time, don't worry. For now, just know that you're important."

"What?" -you asked weakly. "Why me? Why do you do this?"

"Shhh, there's no time for questions. You have a task to do now. C'mon, stand up, stand up!" He waved his hand up showing you to do so. You weren't in that situation to just refuse it, so you slowly did what he asked.

"Now,.. dance for me young lady."

His firm command made you startle. Dance? Did he actually ask you to dance??

"What can't you understand?" He frowned "I told you to dance, what is so hard in this?"

You nervously squeezed your hand into a fist. Silently, you just keep standing there not daring to move an inch. The guy though, like he suddenly realized something evident, he slapped his forehead leaning backward on the chair.

"Of course! Why hadn't you told me!" Suddenly as he stood up, he grabbed your wrist dragging you closer to him. "Of course you can't dance if there's no music. So evident... Come here c'mon!" He commanded as he continued dragging you outside of the small room into another one. You couldn't resist at all, his grab was way too strong on your wrist. "Also, if you still wouldn't be willing to do your task, well... let's just say, I'm pretty good at persuading people."

"N-No.." Tears started gathering in your eyes. You can't let this creep hurt you. There must be something to use against him. Just think! "Please... let me go..!" Your voice was timid, and you couldn't be helped but hate that you were just too weak compared to him.

"Shhh don't be like that." He said gently as he turned back to face you. "There there, if you won't stop crying, you'll ruin that nice shirt of yours and then I'll have to take it." You flinched when he touched your cheek with his fingers. "I guess you wouldn't want that would you?" His whisper was like wind in winter, making you goosebumps, however in fear. But as you finally wanted to give up the trying, a sudden idea came to your mind. A disgusting... but effective idea.

As much as you could force yourself, you tried to relax and just it let it out. Yes, your fucking best idea was peeing in yourself. But since this guy has a cleaning disorder, maybe you have a chance. You started feeling the warm wetness between your legs, and as you were trying to ignore the disgusting fact that it's Your pee, you just hoped that it'll work.

"W-What have you done?!" exclaimed the guy "DISGUSTING!" Grabbing your shoulder, he pushed you back into the previous room. "Don't EVER do that again! Now I have to clean up after you! You disgusting Impure!" He cried in anger as he shut the door after him leaving you alone. You rushed towards the wall which was possibly the farthest from the entrance. Embracing your knees you leaned your head on them, and finally, let out your tears. The guy most likely won't come back soon.. he surely had enough of your 'disgusting' appearance and this meant.. that nobody will disturb you. You're safe, for now at least.

The wetness between your legs was so uncomfortable that you wanted to take off your jeans, but that would have been clearly a big mistake. You still didn't know what this man wanted, but thinking of his current intentions.. you couldn't let off your guard.

The guy told you that you're important. What did he mean about this? The fact that you didn't know about his plan made you reassured and terrified at the same time.

Maybe you didn't even want to know what his true intentions are...

 

But now all you could do is waiting anyway.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> //Hey guys~ If you read this, then welcome to the fandom! I was pretty down when I saw that Split has almost no fanfiction at all.. So I decided to entertain myself with this lol.  
> I'm pretty busy, to be honest, but I hope I can write pretty frequently. After all, I also want to see more lolol
> 
> Every kind of comment is highly appreciated! I don't bite;)//


	2. Chapter 2

A muffled conversation made you wake up. After you had calmed down, you had decided to take a rest. Too many things have happened recently, you just couldn't take them. You just wanted to forget everything for now.

In your dream, you had been a child again, and you had been eating with your dad and uncle in that restaurant where you three used to go together. It gave you a nostalgic feeling which quickly turned into disappointment when you saw the white ceiling above you again.

You slowly sat up and went to the steel door looking through its keyhole. You were curious who this man was talking to. Maybe you could get some information by them.

"We don't have much time" - you heard the gentle voice. "Do you really think it'll work?"

"It should. We had been preparing for this since months. She seems to be average, she'll be a perfect test subject."

All you could see was a woman's skirt as she was walking in her high heels. You assumed that she was talking to your keeper. And referring to their conversation, she was likely on his side. Maybe though.. you could somehow persuade her to help you. It was a low chance, but.. maybe worth a try.

"Is she in this room right?" As she asked, you saw her coming closer to your door. You rushed back to the bed, embracing your knees not taking your eyes off the door. Right after you settled down, the door slowly opened, and as the figure came in, your eyes widened in surprise and fear. The woman was actually your keeper, wearing woman's dress.

"Oh, here you are Sweetheart." His voice was gentle, and his behavior was not even close to his previous one. It was like.. someone else was in his body right now. "I just wanted to check if you're really capable for this experiment." He continued it as he was coming closer to you. "You look scared.. but don't worry, he won't hurt you." After a sigh, he looked calmly in your eyes. "You don't even know how important you are."

"What do you mean by it? Why am I so important?" You asked shakily.

"It's not the right time now. I have to go because we still have some unfinished business." He went back to the door, grabbing its handle "Be good, won't you?" And he left you alone closing the door.

You didn't dare to move. It was.. weird. Really weird. He was actually talking about himself, after making up a completed conversation. He must have like a personality disorder, or something like that... But well, to be honest, the fact that he told you scared you more. What the hell is he or they planning? Why are you so important?? 

The possibilities were terrifying.

You laid down onto your bed with a big sigh. This is how it is then... It didn't seem like you have any chance to escape. The only occasions when this door opened were when your keeper came in. Also.. what was up with him? That guy.. he wanted you to dance, does he think you're a toy or something like that? Thinking about him made you upset, so you just wanted to think about something else. But to be honest, this whole room reminded you to him. So you just closed your eyes and forced yourself to take a nap again.

It seemed like taking a nap is the only escape from this hell...

______________________

The loud squeak of the steel door has woken you up. It was dark in the room, probably the guy had turned off the lights when he'd seen that you were sleeping. The silly thought he may have been watching you during your sleep made your heart race a bit. But you quickly shushed these upsetting thoughts and turned to your other side.

A bright line of light showing through the room has caught your attention. And there was a shadow in the middle of it.

You quickly sat up after finding out its resource, it was your keeper sitting cross-legged, leaning against the door's frame. A creepy weird smile was settling on his face as he was constantly staring at you. His aura was different, not like before.

"My name's Hedwig and I have red socks!" He broke the silence smiling widely. You kept being quiet, didn't dare to say anything. The guy though, he continued with a smirk "It'll come for you~"

You swallowed "W-What?" Squeezing your fingers in a fist, you felt that the nerves started to overtake you.

The guy hearing your question chuckled "It'll come for you, and you WON'T be happy because of it~"

"Who are you talking about?" Your voice became shaky, but you needed the answers, and maybe you could get them now. However, your partner didn't seem to want to give them to you. He just shrugged in joy but avoided to give you the answer. You bit your lower lip, thinking how could you ask him to get an actual answer in exchange. "Can you tell me how that.. man or something looks like? What is it exactly that will come soon?"

"Oh nonono, I can't tell you that, Mr. Dennis has forbidden me to do so." he laughed nervously "I uhm.. actually shouldn't even be using the Light right now."

His statement strengthened the suspect that you'd felt before. "Hedwig, how old are you exactly?"

Hearing the question, he proudly straightened and exclaimed "Nine!"

"Did you bring me here?" You asked sheepishly after a short break.

"What? Pffff of course not!"

"Weren't you that.. woman who I talked with before?"

"Can't you see?" He made a grimace then looked onto his yellow tracksuit in confusion. "I thought it's obvious.. b-but that's not important! Mr. Dennis will be angry if he finds me here, I have to go!" He quickly stood up and wanted to leave the room.

You had to interrupt him somehow.

"Wait!" You exclaimed as you hoped, he stopped leaving and turned back to you with curiosity. Now think! You had to make up something that you can get his help with. As much as you hated to admit, you relied on this.. kid, he seemed to be a big help in your escape. "Uhm.. hey Hedwig. I know a secret, wanna hear it? Because I can whisper it to you. You know, even the wall has ears, so we have to be careful." You tried to act as normal as you could, forcing out a calm smile.

"Uuuuuh okaay~" he said grinning, and he slowly crouched closer to you. As the distance disappeared, your stomach twisted. You had to be as believable as you could.

"The others said, that it'll come for you too." You whispered slowly.

His eyes widened in confusion and fear. "N-no that can't be true! Mr. Dennis chose you because you looked like perfect for his plan."

You had to keep your calm and continue this. Finally, you got somewhere. "But I heard them saying this. You know, when you're not here, that woman and Mr. Dennis are talking about this. That they need a kid now."

"N-no Ms. Patricia is not even angry at me anymore." He was looking down at the floor, and as he was thinking hard about what you said, tears started gathering in his eyes. You managed to him cry. "S-She also reads stories for me at night and all.."

"I think Ms. Patricia is still a bit angry at you."

He was totally shocked because of what you said. Tears flew down on his cheeks, while he was looking away in disbelief. One part of you was happy that you managed to make him believe you, but the other... felt bad. You practically took him in, you utilized a kid. This felt awful, but you had to continue it. You had to earn his trust.

"Look Hedwig. I'm here because Mr. Dennis wants me to be your babysitter. And I'm gonna be with you, but I have to get out of here first. And you could make me the way out."

He looked away like he realized something. You had a bad feeling, maybe you went too far.  
"No, I can't do that!" He turned towards you quickly "It took so long for Mr. Dennis to built this in secret. I can't let you out of here! I-I have to go and blow my nose!" He quickly stood up and rushed to the steel door ignoring you. With a big noise, he shut it, leaving you alone.

Shit.

You messed it up.

You desperately collapsed to the floor, staring blankly at it. You had to process the fact that he could have helped you, but no you just HAD to go too far... You embraced your knees while the tears started gathering in your eyes, but you forced to keep them back. You can't give up this easily. Maybe.. maybe he'll come back. Maybe you can still earn his trust later. And even if it sounds terrible.. you could still use him to get out.

You leaned onto your knees with a desperate sigh. Hedwig's voice was ringing in your head as he said: "It'll come for you" You definitely didn't want to know what he meant by it. But seeing his reaction when you lied to him about it... that "thing".. it must have been really bad.

 

Really, really bad.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> //Hey guys!  
> I've got some super nice comments to my previous chapter, thank you!☆ I'm so happy that I could give you some nice minutes with my fanfic. I have some ideas, I only need to somehow add them into the story!~☆//


	3. Chapter 3

"..."

"Hey!"

You quickly lifted up your head after hearing the sudden loud calling. It was Hedwig who was crouching near you looking at you with concerned eyes.

"Oh.. Hedwig.. would you want anything?"

"You didn't answer me when I called you." He said quietly. "I-I didn't want to interrupt you or something though.."

"No, it's fine. Not that I could keep you out or something anyway, am I right?" You gave him a bitter smile.

The guy didn't answer but he was staring at your eyes which made you a bit nervous. "Why did you cry? I see you were crying." He said after a minute of staring.

You swallowed uneasily. "I didn't cry, I don't know what are you talking about." For making this more believable you sheepishly shake your head.

"But your eyes are red. Don't lie to me, I'm not stupid!" He snapped with a grimace and you couldn't help but smile. If you ignored his appearance, you couldn't see anyone else but a nine-year-old boy.

"You got me, Hedwig, you're really a clever boy." You said wiping off the remained tears from your eyes.

"So why did you cry?" He asked after hopping next to you onto the floor. He leaned his back onto the bed and embraced his knees just like you did.

"It's really nothing, I just.." you sighed as you were thinking about how could you tell a nine-year-old that if you keep staying in this place you will most likely be murdered soon. Although.. you didn't even have to tell him because he already knew. "I'm homesick you know."

"Ooooh" he opened his mouth during the realization "Well don't worry! I'll come frequently and you can play with me! And if you're not lonely anymore, you won't be homesick either!" He grinned in honest joy. You felt bad again for lying to him, but.. honestly, what could you do? Ask him to let you out? It wasn't the right time. "I wanted to have a friend for a long time, but Mr. Dennis and Barry didn't let me. They wanted to be alone for a while and they just ignored me." He crossed his arms huffily. "B-but!" You felt him grabbing your arm as he exclaimed. "We can be friends! And we can have fun together, at least until we can!" It gave you a hard time to understand how could a nine-year-old referring to your death so easily. He was basically grinning while telling you that you're gonna likely die soon.

Suddenly though his expression changed for a second, he was staring in front of him blankly like someone has turned off a switch in his head. But right after it, he looked at you blinking a few. "Ah sorry I have to go, Mr. Dennis wants to be in the Light." He said finally with a sheepish smile. "See you later then!" After it, Hedwig stood up and went to the door. He waved before he closed the door leaving you in the darkness.

You went to the lamp and turn it on, then sat down on the bed. Actually onto Your bed since apparently, you lived here. You couldn't hope for any sort of help soon anyway.   
You sighed. Hedwig seemed to be innocent, well at least on his own. You started to figure out the relationships between those personalities. That Dennis must have been the leader, the creator of this horrible plan, then there was Patricia, who seemed to be nice, but.. you didn't trust her at all. You could have bet that she's on Dennis' side. And Hedwig.. you assumed that he's just there and he listens to the others. The odd of him being any sort of leader was very low. He was just a nine-year-old after all. Also, you didn't know anything about this "Light" thing either.. Thinking about what Hedwig said, you could only think that whoever used this "Light", was be able to use the body. So many questions were gathering in your head. Were there more individuals? Who was the original one, and why did the others appear? You didn't hope to get answers though, but it was interesting to think about it anyway.

The noise of the opening door has distracted you from your thoughts. After looking towards the steel object, you saw your keeper walking in, now in his brown buttoned up shirt again. Because of his glasses, you assumed that you faced with Dennis again. Although, to be honest, it wasn't that hard to guess it, since he was bringing some cleaning supplies with himself.

"I brought you some environmentally friendly cleaning supplies to -" he started, but then he stopped for a second quickly moving his eyes towards the ceiling with concern. You looked at the same place but didn't find any difference, so you asked the guy, frowning.

"Is everything alright?"

He flinched at your sound that caught your eyes. "Of course," He said clearing his throat as he set his glasses right. "Why wouldn't it be?"

Such a weird man.

Then after a bit of hesitation, he went to the bathroom door. After opening it, he quickly turned away with a disgust on his face. "Oh C'mon!" He exclaimed, raising his free hand to his temple to massage it. "I know you don't think about this place like your home, but still, at least TRY to keep everything clean." He sighed frustratedly. Then he held out the cleaning supplies towards you. "Take this."

You hesitated, but then you slowly went closer to him and took the bucket. He directed his index finger towards the bathroom indicating for you to go in. You'd tried to wash your trousers after yesterday's incident which caused a bit of mess in the place. Slowly crouching down, you took the sponge from the bucket and started to soak up the remained puddle under the sink.

"Just why do you have to be so messy? You haven't even been here for 24 hours and you've caused such a big mess around you." He snapped quietly.

You didn't answer, just continued cleaning up obediently. You didn't want to take up the conversation because this way you didn't have the chance to make him upset accidentally. You didn't want to be in the same situation like yesterday.

"And no, you HAD to make a mess in the other room as well."

Just ignore him.

"Just to let you know, I had to clean up after you!"

Ignore him...

"Oh speaking of that"

Why doesn't he leave already?!

"You made your trousers dirty.."

Leave. Me. Alone!

"Take them off."

The sponge has frozen in your hands. You shakily swallowed, not believing in your ears. At least, you hoped you just misunderstood it. You really hoped it. As you slowly turned to your keeper, you saw him standing in the doorframe, looking straight into your eyes. His serious expression told you without any words, that he's not joking. You timidly stood up then while biting your lower lip, you looked down to your trousers.

"I'm waiting, young lady."

His firm command made your stomach twist. His deep voice sounded so dangerous, and you could feel his eyes on your body. You just really wanted to run away.

But you couldn't do that.

First, you got rid off your shoes just to make this whole process faster. Then after a shaky sigh, you unbuttoned your black jeans, and you pulled them down. With closing your eyes you tried to imagine that it's just a really bad dream. His eyes were burning on your bare legs, but this didn't give you any sort of pleasant feeling. You just wanted to end this quickly.

While handing them the clothes, you didn't take off your eyes from the tiled floor. This overwhelming embarrassment made your face dark red, and even if you sheepishly tried to cover your lower part by dragging down your checked shirt, the burning feeling didn't let you go. Why does something like this always have to happen to you..?

Your keeper stepped closer to take off the piece of clothing, then he leaned towards you while he was biting his lower lip.

"I hope you know that I just want your best." He said quietly, almost whispering.

You didn't dare to say anything. Clenching your fist, you just tried to swallow up your gathering tears in your eyes.

You didn't want to give him the opportunity to see you crying. Fortunately, he decided to go back to the doorframe. After a bit hesitation though, he turned back to you.

"Stay as obedient as now, so I won't have to punish you. You'll be good, won't you?"

You silently nodded.

"Good."

You heard the fading sounds of steps before the noise of the shutting door left you in complete silence. You shakily sighed before collapsing to the floor. This was true hell. And this man.. he clearly enjoyed this. He enjoyed that you were in his hands. And.. you couldn't do anything against him.

 

You HAD to get out of here.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> //Hey guys!   
> Another chapter is done whohoo!☆ This is officially my longest fanfiction so far!:D Anyway, I hope you liked it! I was having a hard time trying to make Dennis and Hedwig as ic as I could. Still, I'm open to any critics to make them better!~☆//


	4. Chapter 4

Even after Dennis's action, you kept trying to keep your calm. It was no use of panicking, not to say that maybe it would have made things even worse. You didn't want to know anything about those "punishments". So instead of breaking his rules, you tried to be obedient... and hoped that he doesn't want to do anything nasty with you. Thinking about this made you upset already, so you just shushed these thoughts with a quick head shake.

You were lying on your side on the bed, blankly staring in front of you. For making you feel less uncomfortable after giving your trousers to Dennis, you grabbed your checked flannel shirt and after buttoning it up, you unwind it around your hip for using it as a skirt. You truly hated skirts, but... this was how it was now. You didn't want to let your keeper enjoy your miserable situation. At least you weren't cold since he turned on the heater, you assumed because of you. Huh.. hilarious. Like he would care about you.. Also, you had noticed it before, but there were flowers in pretty glass vases all over the place. Single, elegant red roses. Like you would matter anything to him. But as far as you knew, you were nothing more but a test subject. God knows what he wanted to know by using you, but for one, you were sure that once he gets the information he needs, he'll get rid of you. After all, Hedwig had told you that whatever it is, it'll come for you... You sighed frustratedly. Even if these thoughts upset you, there was no way to not think about them, especially because you basically couldn't do anything in "your room" but think.

For the loud rumble, you squeezed your embrace around your stomach. You were hungry, actually VERY hungry. You haven't eaten since Claire's birthday party and it must have been more than 24 hours already. Probably it's because you upset Dennis on your first day, so he decided that without food he could be more persuasive to you. Actually... he got the point. You would have obeyed him just to get something to eat.. even if this sounded miserable...

You flinched to the noise of high heels that hit your ears. You quickly wanted to sit up, but you froze as soon as you saw the figure standing next to your bed. It was him, your keeper, staring at you with a gentle smile on his face. Assuming because of the clothes he was wearing, it could be Patricia or maybe another individual. His long, light pink, whool blaser was covering his black turtleneck pullover and it ended in the middle of his black skirt's lenght. He was wearing some kind of silver necklace which reminded you of a jar of dirt. His expression was soft and warm, maybe even caring, but you didn't want to let off your guard. So many extraordinary things had happened around you and you didn't want to get any more bad surprises.

However.. the object he was carrying caught your eyes. It was a plastic plate with food on it. Your stomach rumbled painfully as you were staring desperately the meal.

You were just SO hungry it was almost unbearable.

"Isn't this such a good day Sweetheart? The birds are singing, and the sun is shining brightly. I mean outside of course." The voice reminded you to Patricia so it must have been her who was standing there. "Hm? Is everything alright? You look pale Darling." Her eyes became worried. You guessed that she had just seen your miserable expression. You didn't dare to answer her though, but then your stomach betrayed you by making a loud rumble again. "Oh you must be hungry." she giggled as you sheepishly squeezed your embrace around your stomach. "Poor soul, the Others must have been strict on your keeping. You then surely haven't eaten since you arrived. Here, take one Sweetie."

She handed the plate in front of you suggesting you to grab one of the sandwiches. You hesitated but the urge to eat was too much. You even gave up thinking about the current possibilities. Because of course, she could have easily taken anything into it: drugs or even poisons. But to be honest, you didn't care. You needed to eat.

Although the pleasant taste actually surprised you. It didn't just look but even tasted like an ordinary salami sandwich. Of course, it still could be some kind of drug that expanded its effect later, but well.. it didn't matter anyway.

"Do you like it?" Patricia asked softly. You nodded in response. "Ah good, I put even pepper into it." She winked chuckling "You need to be in good health when the time comes. And the day of the ceremony will be here faster than as the long dry period ends in Kenya. It's the end of September. Did you know that around that time thousands of Gnus are wandering towards North-East to search for more humid areas? It's quite interesting, is it not?" She was looking into your eyes, and you didn't dare to break the eye contact, so you just slowly nodded again. "By the way, let me do your hair. I'll make you beautiful in no time." Her fingers touching your cheeks gave you goosebumps but she had an intimidating aura, so you kept obeying her.

"O-okay" you answered timidly.

She smiled at you in response. "That's the spirit" Then she stood up and left the room. Although you almost didn't have any time to even think about your situation, because she appeared in your doorway again. This time she was carrying a hairbrush with herself. She sat down behind you and gently grabbed your hair. You kept back your breath for a minute to stop your shaking. Shivers went down on your spine every time she dragged your hair. "I hope you feel special. Because you are. You are the chosen one."

You bit your lower lip with upset. Sure you must have been special for being chosen to some deadly ritual. You surely didn't have any better purpose in your life.

As hilariously as it sounded.. maybe it was even true...

"I'll put this nice flower into your hair." She whispered from behind you. Then you felt the mild smarting feeling at your temple as she carefully slid the flower into. "See, you're beautiful. Do you like it?" She asked after taking her hands onto your shoulders. You nodded shakily.

"T-Thank you."

"Let me do one more sandwich for you. Come with me to the kitchen."

Standing up, she handed her hand to you. Assuming that you didn't really have a choice here, you took it so she lead you out of your room. That was the second time you saw this room. The first one.. hadn't really been pleasant for you. At least now you weren't in danger.. hopefully. She took out her keys and opened the door. There was a long corridor where you were walking through hand in hand. As you swerved left at the first door, you arrived at the kitchen. There was one more sandwich on the table.

"Sit down, and eat it." You obediently did so while she was staring you from next to the table. "Do you like it? Maybe I'll do even one more" You didn't dare to say 'no' to her, so you just let her to do it. She turned on the radio which started playing some Asian music. "I love listening to the Asian men's music. Did you know that it helps the digestion?" Then she opened the fridge from next to her to take out the butter. With a knife, she spread it on the bread. "By the way.. you are a pretty obedient girl. I like that." You just silently looked at her during your meal. "Because you know... this coming event is so important to us. You can't even imagine it!" You dropped the food in fear as she slammed the knife loudly onto the counter. After a great sigh, she continued though "I don't know if anyone had told you about it. Hopefully not."

"But I would like to know some things about it. A-Anything." You said quietly.

"Oh, you would?" She responded without turning towards you. The tension was rising in the air, you could feel it. The intimidating feeling was getting stronger around her as well. Then with a quick turn, she was leaning towards you with the knife in her right hand. "Well, I think you shouldn't be that nosy. What if you know about our ceremony? About Us? Those Impures like you, they don't have a chance against us. They never had. And never will." She said slowly and gently like she wouldn't want to wake up an asleep child.

You totally froze, not even dare to swallow. Her aura was terrifying and you knew she could have stabbed you anytime with that knife in her hand. Your breathing was getting faster, you were about to have a panic attack. You should have known that everyone who's in that body has the same goal. And they were so determined that nothing could stop them. Not even murder.

"Oh, you're about to cry, poor soul. Shhh, there's nothing to be afraid of." She continued as softly as it was possible. "Or at least until you keep being a good girl and you give up with being so nosy..." Finally, she straightened leaving some space between the two of you. "Now go to your room." She ordered as she massaged her temples. You used this time to get as far from your keeper as it was possible, and to be honest, her command made you feel relieved. At least your life wasn't on line thanks to her. On the first sight she seemed to be caring, but then she showed her true colors. Obviously you were the one who upset her, it's Your fault, but still... everything was so messed up. Even if you wanted so badly, you couldn't trust anybody. There was no one out there to help. 

 

You quickly stepped into your room, and after shutting the door, you let the darkness make you forget all the bad things again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> //We hit the total 500 views omg!! Thank you so much, it means a lot to me that there are people who read my story! :')
> 
> Now about Patricia *sighes* she made me a hard time haha. I don't know if I nailed her, or just messed everything up, but well it is what it is~
> 
> Also I'm finally trying to make some differences between my story and the original movie, because there are some empty spots without Claire and Marzia.
> 
> Please stay tuned for more! Who knows maybe some action will finally come as well ;)//
> 
> [NOTE: Wanted to leave a note here too. For those who've been here for a longer period of time must have noticed that.. yeah I changed the names in this chapter. Originally it was Jade, but then I realized that, 'no you dummy it's Patricia.' So yeah, that's all. Thank you for understanding in advance!   
> Well that was me from the future~☆]


	5. Chapter 5

This place was getting more and more terrifying by every single passing minute. The despair, like a deadly anaconda, unwinded you, trying to break your bones, your ribs. And after you suffocated by its embrace, it wanted to swallow you and erase you from this world.

You were sitting on your bed, embracing your knees as you were blankly staring towards the entrance. You tried to swallow down all the remains of the panic attack you'd just had and stabilize your breathing back again.

You flinched as the steel door swung open by your keeper. It was him, Dennis, again this time. He frustratedly rushed towards you, and after sitting down onto the bed he pointed at you with his index finger.

"I-I heard that you had been nosy young lady! Are you planning to escape?! If you are, well too bad there's no chance for you!" He was furious and you couldn't really understand why. For God's sake, you just wanted to get some answers! About why you were here, and what was even that ceremony they were talking about!

"I-I just -"

"Just shut up, and listen!" he cut in your words. "We had been working hard on this plan, and NOBODY can stop us! The monster will come for you! It's Your faith, so you should accept it!" He shouted in anger. You were shaking, his intimidating aura terrified you. "And... And!" He wanted to continue but it looked like he was struggling with something. You confusedly leaned closer to him in the hope to understand him better. "God damnit.." He nervously squeezed his hand to a fist. "There.. there's a crumb on your shirt.." he pointed at it while looking away. "Please take that off.." he finally said it lubberly.

As you looked at your clothes, you saw the little-remained piece of bread on your chest. Then slowly you moved your eyes towards your keeper who was still struggling on the other side of the bed. 'Oh yeah he has a cleaning disorder' you thought. As soon as you swept away the little mess, he calmed down as well. With heavy breathing, he set his glasses. "So.." he continued after clearing his throat. "Just, please... don't break the rules. None of us want you to get in trouble because of your disobedience." And after a great sigh, he looked straight into your eyes. "Promise me you won't try to escape." His tone was serious and intimidating, a shiver went through your spine. You slowly looked down onto your knees and swallowed. You were under his control, and you hated it. But still, it was no way for you to get out. At least not yet. So you gave him a small nod whereat you could hear his relieved sigh.

"I understand you are curious, but... please be a bit more patient."

Then there was a short break until he continued it finally.

"Your big day shall come soon."

____________________________________

Your dreams became more and more realistic during your captivity. The sound of the surrounding nature, the soft caress of the spring wind and of course.. the voice of your dad. It was heartbreaking to hear him again because you knew he had been caring about you. It was a feeling you couldn't let go that you felt it had been slowly corroding you inside.

The muffled noise of movement has interrupted your dream. You slowly opened your eyes. The room was dark, however, the bright line of light was shining through the opened door. You wanted to get up, but the unexpected weight on your hip made you realize that you were not alone. Your keeper was lying next to you hugging you under your chest. After an uneasy swallow, you slowly lied back to your previous position, trying to keep your calm. He was close... very close. You could feel his soft touch on your skin and his cold breath on your neck which made you goosebumps but made the affected areas burn as well. And even if you tried to protest, you couldn't help but feel your heart started racing. By his touch squeezing the embrace around your stomach, you knew he was getting up. You still didn't know exactly who kept holding you, but the possibilities were not that many actually. You just hoped for the best.

"It wasn't nice what you'd said about Patricia.." said the guy finally. You recognized by his voice, that it was Hedwig who was talking to you. "You lied to me." He added after leaning onto his elbow with the embrace still not letting you go. Your stomach twisted to what he said. He must have talked with the woman, and after getting to know the truth there was a chance he wouldn't trust you again. You were terrified by this thought.

"I'm really sorry Hedwig." You answered quietly.

"This... Y-You lied to me, you scared me et cetera..." you didn't answer, to be honest at the moment you couldn't make up an excuse which could have been good enough. "Mr. Dennis said" he continued "that you're wearing a lot of shirts. I love this one though."

You swallowed. The fact that Dennis said that, it sounded somehow really embarrassing to you. Even if you tried to avoid any nasty thoughts. "Thank you.." you answered with the same sheepish voice.

"Do you know who's Dennis and Patricia?"

You stopped for a minute. Your heart started racing at the thought that maybe you'll finally get more answers. "No" you said briefly.

He smiled at your answer and got up. After settling down on the other side of the bed, he was facing you now. You quickly got up as well and looked at him with hope in your eyes. Maybe now your time had come.

"So every one of us has to wait on a chair and then there's Barry" he chuckled to the name "you know he's the one who chooses who can use the Light. But he has lost his power" he pointed himself grinning "and it's all because of me. Now I can go into the Light whenever I want to. You know it's a..." he hesitated for a minute probably for searching the right word "special power. Barry should be in his chair if I wanted to. This is why Dennis and Patricia told me that I can be with them." Everything he said, it sounded like he was really proud of this. You could only guess, but if you were right about the meaning of the Light then it was a huge power. Using the body whenever you want and God knows until how long... You couldn't even imagine their position. Because obviously all of this was granted to you. "Dennis and Ms. Patricia believe in the monster and its power."

This sentence has caught your eye. Maybe if you played your cards right, you could get more information about this 'monster' as well. You carefully chose your words. "And.. have you seen it? ... the monster?"   
Hedwig hesitated for a moment before answered. "N-no. Can I kiss you?"

You froze to his words. Did he just ask for permission to kiss you? You didn't know what to say to this. Of course, you didn't want to kiss him because of... obvious reasons. But.. you couldn't rule out the chance that he won't want to talk with you if you refuse this. Seeing you thinking hard on his ask, he became more and more embarrassed.

"So then.. shall we? Well I mean I don't really know much about kissing but-"

"No, it's okay." You quickly interrupted. It was your chance to gain his trust again, and you didn't want to mess it up. Kissing him wasn't on your 'top 10 most wanted actions' list, but.. this was how it was now. You clearly surprised him by your answer. "Oh okay then.." He sheepishly smiled at you in embarrassment then after clearing his throat, he put up his serious face before started leaning closer to you. Your stomach twisted as you saw Hedwig's adorable smile. You tried to think about all the bad things that happened to you for the sake of not getting excited at all. You still couldn't let off your guard. It was only a fast kiss, nothing more... As he leaned carefully towards you, he slowly closed his eyes, paying attention not to mess anything up. He was clearly nervous and you assumed that it was because this was his first kiss. To be honest it was yours too, well.. if you didn't count the ones in the past. And well, you didn't. You just wanted to forget them as much as possible.   
It has got harder to breathe at the moment you felt his lips on yours. They were soft, warm and.. it felt like they could make you forget all the bad things that happened. No! No way, you couldn't think about anything like that! Just ignore it, c'mon... ignore it. You squeezed your hands into fists to distract yourself. You had to feel perfectly nothing...

Your keeper sighed into the kiss, and after it.. somehow.. you felt a strange feeling rising in your stomach, but you just couldn't guess what could that be. As soon as you opened your eyes, you didn't face with Hedwig anymore. You knew this familiar look. It's was Dennis'.

"Well well, having fun, aren't we? And with a child? I didn't expect you're up to something like this." Your cheeks became dark red in embarrassment you couldn't even give him a proper answer. He appeared in the worst time that could have been possible.

"N-No I.. We -"

"Just shut up already." he didn't give you a chance to answer nor to escape from him because at the moment he told you the command, he leaned back to you and silenced with another kiss. Feeling his lips on yours again made your heart start racing. You didn't want this at all, but he didn't let go. He pushed you back down onto the bed, leaving his weight on your shoulder so you couldn't escape. You couldn't protest at all and using this benefit he forced his tongue into your mouth making your mind dizzy. He slowly started unbuttoning your black shirt and every one of his touches made you shiver but burn your skin in the same time. And even though you didn't want this at all.. your body started reacting to him. You simply couldn't ignore him anymore.

"I should have taken this shirt of yours before. Now at least I can do that regardless." He whispered onto your lips. Tears started gathering in your eyes. You just wanted this to end as soon as possible. "Oh, you're about to cry, how cute." He caressed your cheeks before leaning to your ears. You tried to shakily lean out of his reach without greater success. "How does it feel? Being in a miserable situation where you just can't escape from? Of course, this feeling has been unknown for you until now, Impure." Seeing your tears flowing down from your eyes made him smile. The grin on his face was so self-conscious and satisfied that it made you sick. But then with taking off your black shirt he finally straightened up on the bed.

You quickly covered yourself with your hands on your chest since you felt his burning stare on your white pull. Letting out an unsatisfied sound, he got up from the bed, leaving you there. "Don't ever think about tricking any of us. As I said before, the monster will come for you. You don't have any chance against it." He said frustratedly. "Just give up already." Then he turned towards the door, however, he stopped before leaving the room. "I hope that this.. lesson has finally taught you the rules of this place. Remember, I'm not afraid of any kind of punishment." And he shut the door leaving you into the darkness.

You were lying on the bed miserably staring in front of you. Tears kept flowing from your eyes as you were trying to process everything that just happened. Fortunately, he only took your shirt, but... still left a mark in your honor. But the worst.. even though that you had been terrified, it had felt good at the same time. And this was unacceptable. You had to stop this feeling right here, right now.

You had to get out of here at whatever cost.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> //Another chapter done, yay~☆   
> This one, well I don't know. I hope you like it~ I hope I didn't make Dennis too ooc by adding the kink to his character ^^;
> 
> Also, idk how often I can post, I try my best but actually one chapter takes way more time than it should be. haha I don't wanna say this as a complaint but just a fact~ I love that you're enthusiastic tho! But let me post in my own rythme~☆
> 
> Thank you for understanding! ♡//


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> //Just a slight warning that probably nobody expected this to happen lol.
> 
> Also, I need to thank @sageisapotato, because without you this chapter couldn't have been born~☆//

You couldn't get rid of your still-too-fresh memories that you'd just shared with Dennis. His touch on your body, his whisper into your ears and.. the kiss on your lips that he silenced you with; these all made you goosebumps. It was so bad but so good at the same time and you hated to admit it. You had to stop this feeling right now.

Fortunately, even if it was only permanently, but you could forget everything during your sleep. It was not much, but better than nothing. Although it was weird that every one of your dreams was in the same scenario with the same people. And to be honest, you wished you didn't have these dreams because you knew... eventually they'll remind you of that thing as well. To all those horrible memories.

You slowly opened your eyes, this time nothing could interrupt you during your sleep. You almost felt rested? No, not that much, but you definitely weren't sleepy. As you stretched your arms though, a weird familiar feeling started gathering in your stomach. You couldn't really guess what that could be until you turned towards your side and an aching pain has appeared in your core. As you quickly pulled your leg to curl up, you felt a too familiar wetness between your legs.

Wait a minute...

You panickedly looked back to the place you'd been lying previously, and you noticed a little red spot on the originally not-too-clean bed-sheet.

Fuck.

You've totally forgotten about your period... What the heck should you do now?! You clearly just can't ask your keeper to get you some pads or tampons! ...can you? No, there's no way you would do that. You had shared enough embarrassing moments with this guy and you didn't want to add one more. Especially not about this... it's like.. this is a taboo topic that no one should ever talk about with the another sex. You just can't do that. You just can't!

You rushed to the bathroom and settled down to the toilet. Your stomach felt like it was on fire, no matter how hard you tried to embrace it. Usually, you just took a spasmolytic but now there were no possibilities for that. Of course, your keeper wasn't taking any medicine here, he maybe didn't even know what period is. Well.. hopefully, he knew that because you didn't plan to give him a full explanation of your current situation. This was also definitely not on your 'top 10 most wanted action' list. But you definitely had to solve this emergency right now.

So you rushed to the steel door and frustratedly started knocking it with the hope that your captor was here. If not, then you were probably screwed.

C'mon.

The door slowly opened and you saw Dennis with a somber expression. "What do you want?" He asked briefly. "You know you're not allowed to wander outside.." You probably distracted him from his work, so he might won't be that cooperate in exchange. You didn't care though if that was the case, you were ready to use some dirty technic just to get what you want. Desperate time calls for desperate measures. Although still, his intimidating aura made you unsure.

"I-I know -"

"Then? Again, what do you want?" He sounded more frustrated this time. You swallowed nervously. You were about to have probably the most embarrassing conversation of your life. But you had to do this.

"I-I didn't want to bother you, and I know I'm not in that position where I can just ask this, but.." you shakily inhaled "I need you to do me a favor."

"You're right. You're not in that position." He responded firmly. "Now leave me alone, I'm busy." He wanted to shut the door on your face, but you quickly dragged the handle to stop him.

"Please!" You exclaimed desperately. "At least listen to my ask. I really need your help!" At this point, you were begging, and you hated to admit it. But now he was the only one who could help you.

He frustratedly set his glasses on the other side of the gap with a sigh. "Alright. You have one minute."

You weren't sure how to tell him, but since you didn't want to die in embarrassment, you just tried to somehow describe it, hoping that he'll understand it. "..It's that time of the month again." You said finally in a weak voice.

"What?" He frowned.

Shit, he didn't get it. "You know. THAT time of the month."

"Young lady, your time is passing."

"Oh come on, don't make me say it loudly." You sounded now desperately and you felt your cheeks burning already. He either didn't get it in real or just played with you. Well whatever was the case it didn't make your position better. Seeing that he refused to give you an answer, you had no choice. You shakily inhaled before looking into his eyes with a serious expression. "Look, I'm... I'm on my period, and I need the necessary supplies. And I need you to buy them." You've done it even though it cost to your honor. Not that you hadn't lost it already. Your keeper though, his expression changed from irritated to confused real fast.

"Wait, what?" He asked after a bit of hesitation.

"You heard it, I NEED those supplies." This time you finally sounded braver. "If I don't have those I'll make a mess here, and none of us will be happy because of that." He nervously started massaging his temple. You might have seen the light at the end of the tunnel. "And I need them as soon as possible."

"What do I have to buy?" He asked after slow a sigh.

Finally, he got it.

"I need pads and tampons, you can search them up on the internet if you don't know what they look like. And.. " you started but then your nerves appeared again as a twist in your stomach.

"And?" He frowned.

You shakily continued, feeling your face becoming warm again "I need new panties..."

"What?!" He looked at you in disbelief, likely because he didn't want to understand what you'd said either. "Wait that means you-" he started but didn't finish the sentence. You knew what he asked, so you just gave him a shaky nod. To your answer, he forced himself into your room and rushed to your bed not listening to your ask him to stay away. Although when he saw the certain spot on the bed-sheet, he quickly turned in the other way in a disgust on his face. He was seriously struggling to not get sick. Your face was burning, you knew this will happen but he didn't listen, and yet it's still your fault.

"I-I'm sorry, I'll clean it." Tears started gathering in your eyes. Not because of true regret but because of embarrassment. Damn it, you've never thought that once you'll be in a situation like this. "I promise I'll clean it, but please, buy me those stuff.." You told him timidly.

After a struggling sigh, he looked at you. "I'll be right back, you just... make sure not to make a bigger mess." Then he rushed out of the room leaving you alone.

You decided that it's the wisest if you wait in the bathroom during that time. You quickly picked up the messy bed-sheet and brought it into the room and placed it into the sink. Although when you sat down onto the toilet you felt again your core aching. Oh yeah, you didn't ask him to get spasmolytic. Well... then this will be a painful week. You weren't sure whether you'll be here one week later though. Every individual had told you that the monster will come soon... So this means when you die you'll die being in a miserable position like this. What an awful way to die. You chuckled because it kind of matched your life until now...

_________________

You've been sitting there for like god knows how long when you finally heard a knock on the bathroom door. You rushed to it and opened it quickly but just a bit so that you could look through the gap. Although you could only see the closing steel door. You went to your bed where a shopping bag was lying lonely. As you opened it, you saw different pads and tampons in almost every kind of size in it. Dennis clearly didn't have any clue about this, so he just bought everything. It was quite funny, you couldn't help but smile. You brought the bag back into the bathroom, but when you checked it again, you noticed one different sac between the boxes. When you took it out from the bag, you froze for a minute. You felt your cheeks getting warmer as you stared the lacy lingerie in it. He was expecting you to wear this... Not that you would have had a choice, but s t i l l... Well, you couldn't complain, this is what you get when you ask a man to choose your panties...

You sighed thoughtfully.

This following week surely seemed interesting for you...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> //First of all WE HIT 1K TOTAL VIEWS OMG THANK YOU!!!
> 
> So.. *nervous cough* I enjoyed this chapter! Did you enjoy it? I hope so~☆ I'm actually curious about your opinion, so I'd really appreciate if you wrote it down to the comments haha
> 
> I noticed that not many people write about this topic, so I decided that I give it a shot. Maybe I failed, who knows. But yeah it was fun at least!
> 
> Thank you for all of your support, I love you!!♡//


	7. Chapter 7

It was way harder to deal with your cramps than usually. At the other times, you just took one pill then distracted yourself with the TV or some books. Now.. obviously you couldn't do that. So you were just lying on the bed, curling up into a ball as you were blankly staring in front of you. You hated that every time you were on your period it felt like you were dying. But well, not like you could have done anything against it. At least the supplies Dennis had bought you surely lasted out until the end. It was not much, but something.

To be honest you hadn't been willing to use the shower until now because god knows when your captor decided to come into your room. Now though you didn't really have a chance. There was hope that now Dennis doesn't want to disturb you. So you quickly packed everything you needed and went into the bathroom. After closing the door, you wanted to check if there was hot water here because you never really tried it out before. It was a pleasant surprise when after a minute of waiting, warm water started coming out from the shower head.

You took off your clothes - well.. at least those that remained thanks to Dennis - and stepped into the shower. It was so good to feel the warm liquid flowing down on your body. For a minute, you stopped thinking and just let you relax. You just let forget all those horrible memories that you'd gained here. For the first time, you felt clean and maybe even that you were safe. This, in fact, was quite hilarious, to be honest. 

You didn't know how long you've been there, but suddenly someone started knocking loudly on the door. You panickedly got out of the shower and rushed towards your lingerie. "Wait a minute!" You exclaimed, hoping that he won't come in. Fortunately, your keeper had placed an orange tower into the bathroom on your first day, and now it was the time to finally use it. You quickly unwinded the tower around you and went to the door. You didn't open it though, giving him a chance to mess with you was not between your plans.

"What are you doing there?" A muffled sound came through the door. You relievedly recognized that it was Hedwig's voice.

"I was just taking a shower, and now I'm changing, so please wait outside!" You hoped that he won't come in, so you rushed back to your clothes and started put on your bra.

Hedwig though, he had been having trust issues since you had lied to him. Of course, he had to follow the rules as well and not let you escape. And since you had been in the shower for way too long, he started to worry. "Y-You're not lying to me, are you?" He said shyly as he slowly opened the door. You were just about to put on your dirty-white pull, being in your lingerie. But at the moment he saw you, he squealed and loudly shut the door. You were watching into the other direction so instead of covering yourself, you almost dropped your clothes because of the sudden noise. You actually didn't even have time to realize what even have happened. 

After successfully putting on everything, you finally left the bathroom. Stepping out, you saw Hedwig sitting on the floor. He was embracing his knees to curl up into a ball, while he was leaning his head on them. You could only guess, that he felt guilty for opening the door. It was quite heartbreaking to see him like this, so you decided to cheer him up, because.. after all, he was nothing more but a nine-year-old boy.

Something caught your eyes though.. there was a brand new looking bed-sheet and a sandwich on a plastic plate on your bed. Both of them was perfectly placed on its center. And obviously, they were not there when you went to take a shower. Maybe it was Hedwig who brought them here, but first thing first, you wanted to deal with him.

"Hey, you alright?" You asked gently as you crouched next to the guy.

"I-I'm sorry... I-I didn't believe you.." his voice was so timid and weak, your heart couldn't take it.

"It's okay." You shrugged with a smile. "I mean, I can understand. I lied to you when we met the first time, it's natural that I'm not trustful."

He looked at you with his big sorrowful eyes. "You're not mad at me?"

You shook your head still with a gentle smile on your face. "No, it's okay. I know you didn't mean it to peek."

His expression became happier when he sheepishly scratched his neck. "By the way, I love your underwear. Mr. Dennis was talking about buying you new ones. You didn't like your old one?" He asked innocently. Great, you were now talking about an awesome topic again...

"He was talking about this?" You enquired in a weak voice.

"Yeah, he was pretty angry, he couldn't even talk about anything else but you." He responded with a small nod. "Did you make him angry?"

You swallowed uneasily "N-No, at least I hope not." 

Hedwig looked at you not saying anything, but then he started staring his legs. "It's okay if you're scared of him. You know I'm also scared of Mr. Dennis. He can be caring sometimes, but then the other times he's just frightening. So I don't dare to say no to him. Last time -" he quickly turned to you sheepishly "Uhm this is why I had to go during our kiss. Mr. Dennis asked me to let him use the Light. I told him no, because.. because I wanted to finish uhm.. our kiss but then he scared me and ordered me to let him lead." After a deep sigh, he continued "I'm sorry, it was probably weird to see him after me."

"No, it was okay. Nothing really happened." You answered with a fake smile that you had been practicing over the years. You were just so good at it. After it though, you started thinking for a minute. So this is why he just appeared so suddenly. Maybe he just wanted to tell you something or he had a work to do, but well.. it was obvious how this all turned out. So even if Hedwig had the power to let's just say "lead" this body, if someone scared him, then actually they could use that Light anytime. This was clearly not that thing that you hoped to hear. "By the way Hedwig.." the guy has looked at you as you started "did you bright these stuff to me?" 

He quickly looked at the bed where you were pointing at, then he shook his head. "Nope, I don't know who did that. It looked like it is now when I came in."

"I see." You bit your lower lip as you sat down next to him. Your stomach though, it started aching as soon as you settled down to the floor. You quickly embraced it with trying to muffle a painful moan. You could definitely use some spasmolytic.

Hedwig, after seeing your face, looked at you with concerned eyes. "Are you ok? Does something hurt?"

"It's just my stomach that's all." You waved as you gave him a reassuring smile.

"Are you sick?" He looked like he was seriously concerned about your health which gave you a funny feeling. "I heard Mr. Dennis talking about something like this, but I didn't really understand it." 

Huh, Dennis again.. surely he just had to tell everyone that you're in this situation. Great.

"I'll be ok, don't worry." You were still smiling just to make him less worried. He looked at his knees for a minute like he was thinking about something, but then he turned his head towards you again. 

"You know I love listening to music and dance. I always dance in my room under my window when I turn on the radio. Kanye West is the best!" He said with a wide smile. His purpose was probably to change the topic to a better one.

Wait a minute. Did he say a window? Maybe.. you could escape through that window. Maybe... you still had a chance. This realization hit you like a train but gave you hope. You decided to make up a little scenario when he'll want to show that room on his own. You had to be careful though. You couldn't allow yourself to fail this time.

"Maybe.. you could show me your dancing skill." You said with a mysterious smile. 

"B-But my radio is in my room." He pointed confusedly towards the steel door. 

You pretended to realize this problem. "Oh, yeah..." for making the whole scene more realistic, you bit your lower lip nervously. But then like you would have got a better idea, you grinned at him. "Maybe you could show me your room. And then I could see you dancing."

Hedwig stopped for a minute and started thinking. You clearly made a hard time for him with this idea. Finally, there was hope for your miserable situation. But then, all of his statements sounded like a bolt from the blue. "Wait do you want to trick me? Why do you want to see my room? Do you want to escape?!" He looked at you angrily.

No no no this is bad, you had to make up something. Just think!

You put on a calm face in order to hide your nerves then you looked straight into his eyes. "Okay Hedwig let's play a game" he nodded "you have to guess whether I'm lying or not." He nodded again "And if you lose, you will show me your room. Are you ready?" And he nodded again. You sighed deeply, then continued the eye contact with him. "I always look for the trouble. So the teachers can send me to the schoolroom. Where I can be alone. Far from everyone else."

You were smiling and it's because of the confidence you had. As you could see, he was having a hard time guessing the right answer. Obviously, he didn't want to mess it up, because he wasn't supposed to let you out of this room. But still, he couldn't say no to this challenge.

But after a minute of thinking, he finally gave up "Ok, I'll show you my room.". This short answer made your heart start racing in excitement. Yes, finally your time has come! You can escape from this hell! "Well actually" he continued as he stood up "I'll wait for it. Mr. Dennis has told me to let you alone for this week and I don't want him to be really angry at me. But don't worry I'll come to talk with you often!" He said grinning as he went to the door. "Now I have to go, Mr. Dennis wants to use the Light!" Then he shut the door on you. 

You were not really disappointed, at least you could see some progress. Although.. it should be wiser to hurry a bit more. With every day you got closer and closer to that ceremony. And obviously, you HAD to get out of here before that day. 

But now at least, you could see the light. You could start to truly hope for once again. 

Finally, you had a chance.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> //2K TOTAL VIEWS?? HOLY HELL THANK YOU!!!
> 
> Now I wanted to make a chill chapter, just to make a kind of base to the upcoming parts. I hope you still could enjoy it tho:)
> 
> Btw I don't know how I'll be able to come up with the updates since I'll be really busy from Wednesday to Saturday... so I most likely won't be able to post during that time. I'm sorry!!   
> But yeah it is what it is....
> 
> But anyway thank you so much for your support!!   
> I love all of you!!♡//


	8. Chapter 8

The next few days started to rush. Days after days you had the same rhythm that you followed. There was not much you could do though since none of the individuals let you out of your room. Sometimes Hedwig stopped by and passed more and more time with you. It was obvious that he started considering you as a friend. You two were getting along well, but every time you felt guilty deep inside because you knew: this was all just a part of your plan. To gain his trust in order to escape. You felt so rotten, because you knew exactly, that what you were doing is horrible. But still... you had to remember: this was all about life and death. And you basically had no choice.

You noticed another organized change during your stay. Every time you finished your shower or simply woke up, you found a plate of sandwiches on your bed. You didn't know who brought it to you, but you were grateful to them... It sounded hilarious, didn't it? But this was true. It was a weird feeling because you were basically taken care of here, your keeper looked after you, but.. obviously you were nothing else but a test subject. Still, you knew your position could have been way worse than this. So you had to stay grateful.

Thanks to Hedwig, you got to know some information about the other individuals as well. Not everyone though, because it seemed like the nine-year-old didn't keep contact with everyone in that imaginary chair room. But he especially loved talking about a man called Barry. You remembered that he had already mentioned him before. They seemed to be close, well at least there definitely wasn't any tension between them. At least in that time when he hadn't lost his power because of Hedwig yet. According to what he had told you, Barry actually looked friendly with his artistic side, but of course, you couldn't judge anyone from the first sight. Nobody was like what they looked like here.

Today Hedwig visited you again, bringing some pencils and A4 papers, so the two of you decided to draw together. Neither of you was good at it, but it didn't really matter, you just did it for fun anyway. Since you had spent basically all of your childhood in the forest to learn hunting, you had a wide variety of knowledge about the animals and their appearance. Of course, all you could do is just drawing shaky silhouettes, but this was enough to make your partner amazed.

Hedwig though, he decided to illustrate some of the individuals from that chair room. He was currently trying to draw Barry, at least according to what he had said. Since you have never met him, it was hard to judge it from the things the boy had told you.

However.. one thing started interest you. If he knew everyone from that room, maybe.. he could have already seen the monster as well. You knew that he had avoided this question last time, but now that your friendship became stronger, he might have opened up for you.

"Hedwig" you started while you were sketching a long-eared owl that he had asked you to do.

"Mm?" He hummed then looked at you with curious eyes.

"You told me that you know everyone from that chair room, right?"

"Yeah.." he said looking back to his paper where he has just started drawing a stick figure. "Well, not everyone. I'm always with Ms. Patricia and Mr.Dennis and sometimes with Barry. But the others don't want to be my friend. I know what they look like but I don't like to talk with them." He snapped huffily.

"If they don't want to be your friend, It's their problem. They don't know what they're missing." You gave him a reassured smile. As he saw yours he smiled back at you too.

"Thank you for being my friend." He said quietly after a bit of hesitation. You stopped for a minute with your drawing, swallowed as you looked at him. In the way he said it.. your stomach started twisting to his words.

"M-me too.." you responded in a weak voice. You were truly the worst for planning to trick this innocent child.

"And why did you ask it by the way?"

"Uhm.." you started nervously "Just because.. Since you can draw everyone so well, I was wondering whether you could draw something for me."

"Sure!" He nodded smiling "Who do you want to see?"

"T-The monster." You said quietly. He suddenly stopped drawing his stick figures as he stared in front of him.

"I-I can't do that." He responded timidly.

"Why?"

"Because.." He continued nervously "Because I've never seen it. The monster doesn't sit in the same room with us. It's at the railway station. Mr. Dennis and Ms. Patricia always talk about it though, but I don't know what it looks like exactly.."

"Oh.." you were disappointed "And what about Mr.Dennis or Ms.Patricia? They must have seen it then, right?"

Hedwig looked like he was struggling with something. Probably because this was something he shouldn't have told anyone. "They.." he started after a bit of hesitation. "They've never told me if they have seen it or not, but they told us that it can crawl and climb the walls no matter how smooth that is. That it has inhuman speed when he runs. And his skin is harder than the skin of a rhino!" He sounded even excited as he described it "Though, not everyone believes in it, still... It can protect us all alone."

"Oh..." There was not much that you could answer. If this monster somehow took over the body of this man, then you were definitely screwed. Everyone was. "A-and" you swallowed shakily. "Do you think it'll ever get out?"

"You silly, that's why Mr. Dennis wants to do the ceremony." He giggled "If he's right, then the monster will be able to use the Light constantly. And everyone will see how strong we are." He grinned at you but it quickly disappeared at the moment he saw the desperation in your eyes. "What's wrong? Are you afraid to meet it?" He asked innocently. "Ms. Patricia has told me that everyone who meets the monster should feel honored. Because they're the chosen ones."

You chuckled then smiled at the floor bitterly "If you say so Hedwig.." It was not in your plans to make the atmosphere so depressed. So after a deep sigh, you decided to change the topic. "By the way who are you drawing?" You enquired looking at the 2 stick figures he has been drawing. It was a girl and the boy, holding hands.

"Oh, this?" He smiled at you sheepishly "I-I wanted to draw you now."

His answer surprised but also touched you in the same time. "Oh, can I see it?" He nervously handed the paper to you so you could examine it better. It was hard to recognize the guy next to your figure. "And who's this besides me?"

"..Mr.Dennis" he admitted after a bit of hesitation.

His answer made your stomach twist. "And why are we holding hands?"

"Because I think you would be a great couple." He shrugged innocently.

You swallowed uneasily. It was pretty sure that your face was getting warmer again. "But Hedwig, we can't be a couple. I'm pretty sure that Mr.Dennis doesn't even like me." You said shyly.

"But he likes you! He's talking about you all the time!"

You looked at him sheepishly "R-really?"

"Yeah, he's so annoying!" He snapped angrily. "Also he now always wants to know about a lot of girlish stuff so he only talks with Patricia and not me!" He sighed "He's never done anything like this before. But this started as you came." Then he crossed his arms. "So if you two are a couple, he'll be normal again right?"

He was looking at you with high hopes, but you couldn't really give him a proper answer. You were blushing and just couldn't think straight. There's no way that Dennis would like you. No just forget it... Also, why did this make you so nervous?! You didn't like him or anything!! ..right? Of course not, this guy was the fucking reason why you were here! And he definitely wanted to kill you! There's just... no way...

"Although.."

You looked at him after being intruded of your thoughts "Yeah?"

"I think he'll be normal as well if the ceremony ends." His tone sounded way darker as he was staring at the paper now. "After all, he told us, that your faith is to meet the monster."

First, you looked at him shocked, but then you started smiling. It was a desperate, bittersweet smile.   
Why did you even bother yourself to imagine situations that won't happen?

To make yourself happy?  
To give yourself hope?

They will never happen.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> //Thank you SO much for 4K views!!!! You're AMAZING!!
> 
> I wanted to have a kind of chill chapter to gather my thoughts again. Hope you don't mind! Also, I'm still super busy, so I'm actually really happy that I could write this!
> 
> Stay tuned guys, I love you!!//


	9. Chapter 9

It was hard to stay calm in your following days. Even if you didn't show it, but you knew that the imaginary rope around your neck was getting tighter as the time passed. Still, somehow even this place seemed to be better than... well. You didn't want to admit this. Because it was simply ridiculous. But the fact that you were taken care of here, was true. Even the roses showed this. On your first day, there were single red roses everywhere. Of course, the time passed since then, and the flowers started to droop, especially because there was no natural light here. They had lost their beautiful shades and poises, so they have been replaced with new ones. With new, elegant white roses. Not everywhere though, for example, the one next to you hasn't been replaced yet. You didn't know if they had any specific meanings, but well.. they showed the care at least.

Despite the rising tension and worry, you behaved the same with Hedwig, looking forward to the moment you were waiting for this whole time. The day when he'll show you his room. Obviously, it was not the room or even his upcoming dance that excited you, but the thing he claimed: that he always listens to music on the radio which was under his window -at least that was what he said. And this had the keyword you were clinging to: the window. In other words, your way to escape. He had told you that he'd show his room as soon as possible, but this moment still hasn't come. And of course, you were terrified of thinking that everything can slip out of your hands. Hearing about the monster just made you even more sure of that this was all about life and death. And to be honest, you knew you didn't have a high chance.. but it was certainly better than nothing.

You were lying on your bed, staring at the wall, which was at the opposite side from the door. It was quiet and dark, actually really dark, because you had turned down the lights. Although you couldn't tell whether it was day or night outside anyway.. without any windows or even holes, you totally lost your sense of time. The only thing that could keep on your rhythm was - as hilariously it sounded - your period. Thanks to it, you knew, that it was your last day before the true hell. Or at least, assuming on Dennis' behavior, he didn't want to bother you at all this week. You couldn't even believe in yourself, but you wished that this situation lasted forever. Just so you would never meet the monster this way.

You lightly flinched to the sound of the slowly opening door. You didn't know who came in, but you decided that it would be wiser to pretend to sleep. You were supposed to be asleep now anyway. So not moving, you closed your eyes and tried to keep your calm. The muffled steps' noise sounded from closer every time which caused your heart start racing.

You're sleeping, just stay calm...   
s t a y c a l m

You heard some noises, he was definitely doing something. The muffled sound of the glass, he must have set something. Then another familiar sound, this time something metallic. You couldn't guess what the hell he was doing. Then there was silence. Long silence. You knew he was struggling with something. You felt his eyes on your skin. It was, to be honest really hard to keep your calm.

You wished he would just go away already.

Like he would have heard your wish, his steps became more and quieter. He was leaving the room. Now though, something started to bother you again. As ridiculously as it sounded, you wanted to reveal yourself to him. You couldn't explain why but you felt that now he wasn't that intimidating as always. And this was enough for you.

With slow moves, you rolled to the other side of the bed, just to see who was your visitor. After seeing the tidy shirt and the familiar glasses, you already knew the answer.

"Dennis?" You asked in a weak voice while pretending to rub your eyes tiredly.

He suddenly stopped and turned back to you. It was really him. "You're supposed to be sleeping now." He commented quietly.

You bit your lower lip to his words. He surely didn't expect you to wake up, and maybe you shouldn't have created this situation. "You woke me up." you answered, hoping that he won't find out your lie. After moving turning your head though, you noticed what he'd done. There was a plate on the dry-rotten night table next to your bed, carefully covered in foil. And the dropped rose had been replaced with an elegant black one. It was honestly beautiful but intimidating at the same time. After a swallow, you moved your eyes back to Dennis. "Thank you for the sandwiches. And the rose." You thanked sheepishly. Why did you become so nervous suddenly? "It's uh... really beautiful."

"Well... Patricia recommended me to make the environment a bit more friendlier.." He said after a bit of hesitation. "I mean of course she could have done this as well but.." he set his glasses with a cough "I thought since I also needed to go and buy some things in the city, I did it anyway."

His tone was kind of shaky, but you decided not to disagree. "Well thank you. These roses are really... elegant. It must have been hard to get them."

"It was okay." he responded quickly, not giving you a chance to continue. It could be heard in his tone that he wanted to finish this conversation as soon as possible. Although this was not something that would have stopped you. He was just about to leave the room when you interrupted.

"Also.. thank you for the care. For all the help I got."

"You deserve it." He said turning back and crossing his arms after a minute of silence. "For... not disobeying us. I'm sure you know well that your position could be worse than now. I hope you're grateful to us."

You couldn't respond anything but nod silently.

"Of course we could make you suffer, but.. that wouldn't help us in either way. If you haven't suffered until now then there's no point to do that. Just stay as good as now, and you will feel this place like home until the great day."

You wanted to disagree, to tell him the truth, but you just didn't dare. You didn't want him to feel sorry for you, not to mention that he probably wouldn't even care. To be honest, why would he care? Don't be ridiculous.

Dennis seemed to be a bit more talkative this time and you still had questions. It wasn't sure if you could ask them or not, but.. you had to try. "C-Can I ask something?" You looked at him after an uneasy swallow.

Your keeper leaned against the door still having his arms crossed. "What do you want?"

"I just.." you tried to gather your thoughts because this could be maybe your only chance. "..were you the one who originally.. was leading that.. body?" You asked in a weak voice. You felt that you successfully messed up this question but still hoped that you didn't make him upset or angry. "Just because you're a born leader and strong minded and all.."

He looked at you, not saying anything which made you feel nervous. Whether this silence meant good or bad, you couldn't decide it. After a minute though, he put his hands into his pockets with a great sigh. "There are 23 personalities in this body. I'm not the original.. none of us are, who you've met. But you'll never meet him. Kevin, he's... weak and sleeping."

"And these personalities... I mean you.. just simply appeared?"

"You ask too many questions, young lady." He snapped with a hidden smile. "But... Let's just say" he started after a bit struggle "that not everyone had a great childhood." You wanted to respond but he didn't let you. "Time's up. I hope you're satisfied. Now I have things to do, so don't bother me." Then he stepped out of the room, closing the door behind him.

You lied down on your bed in order to stare the ceiling in the darkness. The things he had said made your heart twist. You wanted to tell him. Oh, you wanted to tell him so badly, that you could understand him better than he would have thought. That it was so familiar feeling to be grown up from a terrible childhood. And your purpose was not to make him feel sorry for you but to make him relieved. You knew you shouldn't have thought about anything like this. It was nonsense. He kidnapped you, humiliated you and his plan was to sacrifice you to some monster. And despite all, you still wanted to help him...

You were out of your mind.

_________________________________

Familiar sounds hit your ears again. The chatter of the different type of birds, the gentle whisper of the spring wind, even the swash of a near stream: you could hear them clearly. It was the same dream, in the same location with the same two people. Everything was just like in the old times. You were staring at a lying deer in front of you. It was so humiliating, with the beg in its eyes. And you just stared at him with no mercy as you saw it dying. One of the two men praised the other how good his shoot was. After all, it was just a game for you, wasn't it?

A shiver went through your spine as you suddenly woke up. Oh yeah, you fell asleep after your chat with Dennis. With tired eyes, you looked at the direction of the opened door. It was Hedwig who was peeking behind that, staring at you impatiently.

"What are you waiting for? Come with me, I'm gonna show you my room!"

Your heart stopped for a minute to his words. You squeezed your hands into fists and tried to avoid the nervous twist in your stomach.   
That was it. Your time has come.

You're gonna get out of here.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> //Ahhh 6.5K views, I'M AMAZED!! Thank YOU so much!!♡
> 
> So as you can see it was the last chill chapter before turning back to the base story~ Hope you like it and don't think it too ooc *nervous laughter*
> 
> Anyway, thank you all these amazing comments! I read them all even if I don't answer.☆ You guys give me power!~☆
> 
> See you in the next one! ♡//


	10. Chapter 10

With a racing heart and heavy breathing, you followed Hedwig out of the room. 'I'm going to show you my room.' His words stayed like echoes in your head. Your stomach was twisting and your limbs were like stones which made your movement heavy like you would be walking in water. This kind of excitement was squeezing your lungs and crashing your shoulders. You were literally in pain, but you had to hide this feeling. You had to stay calm for the sake of your plan. Damn it, you had been waiting for this since the beginning of your captivity, you couldn't mess this up now! You could do this!

You had only one chance anyway.

The two of you sneaked through the dark corridors quietly. Actually, you didn't see the purpose of this because you were pretty sure that you and your captor were the only ones here. But anyway, you were following him without a sound and just hoped for the best. Hedwig seemed to be too naive and innocent to trick you anyway.

After a bit of wandering, he suddenly stopped in front of a door. "We're here! Are you excited?" He asked turning back to you with a grin. "This is my roooom~" with pulling out his words, he slowly opened the door which obeyed with a loud squeak. You tried to peek in with high hopes but he covered your sight. Although as he jumped in excitedly, the view of the room opened for you as well. You quickly moved around your eyes to examine this place. 'Window, window, window, where is it?' You needed to find it. You had to. It was your ONLY way to escape. Where was that god damn window?!   
...

There was no window.

Not at all in this room.

Hedwig went to the left corner and turned on the radio then started dancing. It was something rap-ish song, but to be honest you couldn't really catch it. The fact that your plan has just been crashed into million pieces gave you a shock and this made you ignore everything around you. It felt like suddenly losing your balance and falling into the void. No, this has just couldn't happen. You were so sure, and finally so optimist about something. Once in your life, you were full of hope and now.. everything was gone. This was totally like a backstab from the world to you.

"So how was my dance? Did you like it?"

The boy came back to you with a wide smile on his face after finishing his dance. Well, that thing that was familiar to a kind of dance, but it was more likely just a cringey mess. Maybe at other times, you would have found it hilarious or maybe even like it, but that was not this one. You were currently feeling like you could collapse right now. This huge disappointment smashed you like a huge rock which could have suffocated you. "Whoah" this was all you could force out from your mouth. Your throat was like a desert, and every letter consumed a huge amount of energy. It was also really hard to force back all those gathering desperate tears in your eyes. Although it seemed that it was unsuccessful because he noticed the heart-broken face of yours.

"What's wrong? Is it because of my dance?" He asked worriedly. You truly wished you could have been this innocent even blind... He was just too pure for this whole situation.

You shook your head after a bit of hesitation. "No, it's just.." with a forced smile you started explaining "I-I don't understand. You told me, that your radio was under a window.." your voice was weak and full of disappointment.

"But it is!" His face lightened up as he rushed to the corner pointing to a drawing. It poorly illustrated a closed window, probably Hedwig was the one who had drawn it. "See? It's closed -" he then flipped up the paper which now showed a opened one. "It's opened. Closed~ Opened~" With a wide grin he looked back to you.

These few innocent words of his have stabbed you like sharp knives. Every time he flipped that paper felt like one more stab into your core. The fact that your only escape has shattered has left you in unbelievable despair. This just had to be a dream.

A nightmare.

Suddenly though Hedwig turned back to you with a suspect in his eyes. "Wait a minute. Did you think that this window is real? S-So that you could go away? Et cetera?" He pointed to the drawing with a fragile voice. His faced showed betray and disappointment. You were screwed. It was the end, there was no use of lying at this point.

You couldn't take it anymore.

If you don't do something -ANYTHING-, you'll die here. And this was not between your plans. You had to throw away your self-esteem in order to get your partner's help. You quickly grabbed the shoulder of the boy, looking at him with begging eyes. "Hedwig, help me to get out of here!" he flinched as he realized how fragile your voice was. "I don't care how or in what way but..." tears started gathering in your eyes. With a shaky sigh, you continued "You need to find the keys a-and let me out of the door!" The grab on his shoulder loosened at your dying voice "...p-please..."

He let out a forced giggle as he was struggling with his words "B-But Ms.Patricia told me that nobody would make fun of me if the monster comes!" He smiled at you with a shrug "She said that everyone will see how cool I am and so those small stupid mistakes won't matter anymore!"

These words felt again like hot sharp knives as they were stabbing you once again. His voice started trembling though as he saw the tears flowing down on your cheeks. All the frustration that you had been forcing back the whole time has suddenly burst out. You couldn't keep them back anymore...

You saw it. It was clear that he didn't want to continue this conversation anymore. "M-maybe you should go back to your room." He said in a weak voice and tried to pass you by. No, no this can't be happening. You couldn't let him go. You've never been this close to the exit and never will. Now that he knew your plan, you couldn't expect any more chances.

You HAD to stop him at whatever cost.

"No, wait!!" You exclaimed, strongly grabbing his arm and not let him go. He cried out in pain as your fingers started squeezing his wrist but this didn't stop you. "Please, show me your Kanye West CDs!! Show me your room, show me your stuff!" You panted with heavy crying "But stay here with me, I don't want to leave!!" With a shaky sigh, you continued despairingly "You told me you want to show me something cool! What is it, Hedwig??"

"No, I don't want to! Let me go!!"

He resisted and repeated this order which you didn't pay attention at. He tried to protest with all of his strength but you were too desperate, you couldn't let him go. He broke the eye contact that you always built up again and again in order to say 'no' to you more easily. But you sobbingly grabbed his shoulder then his neck to draw back his attention towards you. At this point you were a crying, begging mess but you just didn't care until this helped you to avoid your horrible fate. "Please Hedwig, please show that to me!!" You cried in despair.

He couldn't take this anymore, it was just too much. "Alright!!" He shouted at you finally. With a great jerk, he escaped from your hold and rushed to the shelf to search something. A few moments later he turned back to you with a mobile-ish object in his hands. "This is it!!" He exclaimed frustratedly then handed it to you. After taking it with a heavy swallow, he started strolling frustratedly. Now you could finally realize what it was.

It was a walkie talkie.

"Whoah.. this is cool." you said using that forced smile of yours. You may have sounded disappointed, but well, you were. It was just another trash again. You couldn't do anything with this either. And this fact almost made you cry again.

"It's not some toy." He explained firmly in a serious tone.

His statement startled you. What? What did he just say? "Is this real?"

"Yeah!" He nodded intensely. "It's.. Mr.Dennis's." he continued after a deep sigh "he doesn't even know that I stole it! It's just.. so cool isn't it?" He shrugged and looked at you hoping to get some actual responses. His words were shaky though, he knew that he was guilty and letting you see this stuff just made things worse. "You can listen to others and they don't even know that you can hear them."

With trembling move, you slowly tried to turn on the switch on the top of the little radio. "A-And who can hear this?" You whispered weakly.

"No, don't touch it!" He snapped at you, coming closer.

"I-I just check if it's working." You responded quietly then turned on the switch.

"No, no stop messing with those buttons! We'll be caught if you contin-" he tried to stop you, but a man started talking in the walkie talkie. He looked at you with serious fear and anger, hoping you get the signs and stay quiet.

Your heart was painfully pounding in your chest, you felt like you could collapse at any minute.

Your only chance was here.

You slowly lifted the object to your mouth and pressed the button "H-Hallo?" you said without fearing the consequence.

Hedwig's face became dark from one moment to another and quickly reached for the walkie talkie. "I'll hit you!" He cried in anger.

[Who's there??] Could be heard on the radio. You quickly slipped out of his hands and rushed towards the sofa. In order to stop him, you strongly slapped him on his face which made him cry out in pain. "Hello, hello my name's Casey Cooke I'm in a basement and I have been kidnapped!" You exclaimed trying to make you hearable despite the boy's sound.

[Who the heck is this??] Shit he didn't hear you! You have to try it again! In the moment you wanted to talk again, suddenly you saw Hedwig running towards you with a baseball bat. You could successfully dodge it before it could have hit you, so it crashed the sofa instead. The walkie talkie fell out of your hands, landing on it, but before you could have reached it again, Hedwig started suffocating you from behind by his the baseball bat. With a huge effort, you could barely escape from the squeeze at your stomach. The baseball bat fell behind the furniture letting you breathe, but without hesitation, you quickly jumped after your only hope.

[Hello??] The man exclaimed from the other side. It was your time. Don't mess this up now! "My name is Casey Cook!" You still tried to sound as clearly as possible in this hell. "I have been kidnapped, please, very please find me!"

[Betty are you there? This is not funny..] No, you couldn't give this up so easily. Not at this point. "Please call the police, I'm sure I'm near to you! They're keeping me in a basement or something like that!" You explained it to the stranger in growing despair. You didn't let off your guard as you were constantly watching your keeper on the other side of the room.

[Look, Betty, give Larry and Mitch my kind regards, oh and tell them that I've found that orange earphone of theirs.] For a minute, a shiver went through your spine. Even though this whole situation became riskier, you had to stay determined. "I-I don't know where I am!" You sighed, thinking hardly what else could you say "Th-there's a man, he kidnapped me, and he will kill me!"

You looked up from the walkie talkie, feeling that something is wrong. You stomach twisted as you saw the freezing expression of your captor. Hedwig was not here anymore.

Someone way more dangerous has come instead.

The stranger didn't answer, probably because of the sudden shock you caused to him. No, no, just go. With a broken voice, you continued. "I only have a few hours left." No answer, but the distance between you and your captor became less. He started coming slowly closer to you.

"Please."

No answer.

"I'm begging you..." 

No answer...

.  
.  
.  
"Save me."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> //*whispers* 10k views?! What the hell... qwq ♡
> 
> SO to be honest, the 10th chapter always meant so much to me, but I didn't think I can make it like this..   
> I'm actually really proud of this one, not gonna lie. Though gotta give credits to the movie cause hell yeah this part was just so perfect reference! ♡♡♡
> 
> Even though this one screwed me, because after writing the quarter of my chapter my app decided not to save it... so yeah I had to do that part again...
> 
> But all in all, I'm so glad how this turned out!☆ And I'm sure it'll cause me to have a hard time trying to keep up this "quality" haha.
> 
> Anyway, hope you liked it! ☆ Maybe the next part will be a bit later than usual, this one sucked up all my creative power haha//


	11. Chapter 11

[Wait a minute, who are you?! And how could you find our radio?!] Sounded from the walkie talkie that you've been holding shakily. Even despite your highest desires, you couldn't answer. There was a bigger issue for you right now.

Your keeper was staring at you and by the way of the look of his, you knew, you were fucked. He slowly reached for the walkie talkie and with an easy movement, he took it from you. Being terrified of the consequences, you didn't protest - not that it would have caused any good for you anyway.

He gently turned off the radio with an intimidating smile, still not breaking the eye contact between the two of you. You were weak, very weak against him, even just the silent judging of his made your knees shaky.

"Did you really think you could escape? By tricking us?" the familiar giggle made you realize that who was standing in front of you was actually Patricia. And to be honest, this didn't relieve you at all. Actually, you were more terrified of her than the others. With biting your lip, you decided to stay silent, because obviously there was no right answer for you. The woman though, it seemed your silence didn't satisfy her. Reaching out with a warm smile, he caressed your cheek which made shivers go through your spine. "What's wrong Sweetheart? Cat's got your tongue?" She said chuckling as she moved her thumb closer to your lower lip. Every inch of her finger's movement on your skin made your stomach twist.   
You felt like you could collapse at any minute.

"You know," she said softly after a small giggle "I so would like to make you suffer. For breaking the rules.." she moved her thumb to your throat and gently placed her fingers around it. "Suffocate you and see how you're fighting for your life." You felt your heart start racing as you swallowed, forcing back your gathering tears. You've never been more terrified in your life than now. Your keeper, she was staring at you with predator's eyes, ready to kill the prey. And this prey was you.

"It's so unfortunate that I can't do that." She sighed and took away the dangerous fingers from your throat, letting you breathe in despair. "Dennis told us that we can't hurt you. Such a shame." she grinned "Those Impures like you should know their place. Not that you would have a chance anyway." Finally, she stepped further giving you some more space. "So I hope you feel lucky. Because you really are."

You could clearly feel the darkness in her voice and it made you goosebumps. You would have given everything just to get out of here. After deep sigh though, her aura has changed. She put up her regular warm expression and turned to the shelves searching something. You didn't dare to say or do anything, you just massaged shakily your throat, trying to process what has just happened. You had to stay strong, even if that seemed impossible at the moment. The flowing tears didn't show your determination though, but you knew, you had to try further. Or...

She intruded your depressive thoughts when you saw her turning back with a freshly lit candle in her hands. "Let's go back to your room, Sweetheart." she said with a soft smile pointing the way to out of the door. You let out a weak sigh then gave her a small nod. So the two of you started walking back through the dark corridors. "Dear, could you put your palms together? So that we can think about this way back, like a nice confession of your recent sin."

You silently nodded and did so.

"You could have been this obedient before. So we wouldn't have to make a punishment for you. Nowaday's youngsters... Why do they always have to be like this?" She hummed to herself. "Well let's start the confession, shall we?"

You couldn't really catch on what she said because there was something that occupied you more. That certain punishment. To be honest, you weren't sure if the punishment had to come in either way, then which option would have been better for you. Dennis or Patricia, they were terrifying in their own way. And you really didn't want to experience any of them.

"In the Sun, we may find the Passion... In the Sun, we may find our... Purpose." Her voice echoed through the empty corridor. The two of you reached the destination already, so with a turn, you were back again in the familiar room. Taking away your palms, you turned back to the woman, listening to her next command. She stopped at the doorframe, giving you a pleased smile. "I've read this in a grief postcard. It was meant to be written for a funeral but I thought it was beautiful." She claimed gladly then blew off the candle. "Dennis will inform you about the ceremony of tonight.. and.. well let's just leave this in surprise." The woman giggled and left you alone.

You had to start thinking, NOW. What the hell should you do... There must be something - ANYTHING you could use. If you find something, you may have a chance until tonight... Think, just think! You quickly rushed your look around the room searching any spot that may have to avoid your attention. Your keeper turned on the light in the other room probably in order to change clothes. You had so short time, c'mon-... Suddenly you saw something sparkling next to the doorframe. As you focused on it, you realized what it was: a nail. Maybe.. Maybe you could use that! With a quick movement, you sneaked to it and swiped it to the sidewall of your room. For now, it was enough that you knew the nail was there. You didn't want to risk anything at this point. You stood back to your original place waiting in more self-conscious than before.

You could cling to something and hope again.

Your captor got back and you saw by the tiny shirt and familiar glasses, that it was really Dennis. You felt the tension in his eyes and this depressing silence made your stomach twist as well. You felt so weak again. 

With a deep sigh, he stepped closer to you. "It was not nice to trick a child. These actions show who you really are..."

"I-I'm sorry.." you answered quietly, not daring to look in his eyes.

"It's not me, who you should really apologize.." Then with another step, he made the distance less, between the two of you. You shakily stepped one way back in responding. You were just too afraid of the possible consequences. "Hedwig though, you likely won't see him again. There's just so less time.." he continued keeping the steps towards you. You didn't give up either, but you knew, eventually, there won't be anywhere to run. One step, two steps. "Why? You were so obedient until now." You didn't dare to break the eye contact with him. One step again. "Have you been planning this the whole time?" Your heart was painfully pounding. You knew you had done a mistake, you knew you were guilty, and it was killing you. Another step backward. There mustn't be too much until the wall. "If so, I hope you prepared for the possible consequences as well.."

...   
No more steps. Just wall.

You were shaking hard as you kept watching your keeper walking towards you with deadly calm. He placed his hand onto your hair and swept it behind your ear, still staring into your eyes. He was close. Very close. "Now what should I do with you? Why did you have to make me do this? Did you really want to be punished?" He whispered to your lips, then not even letting you answer, he kissed you. The constant feeling of his lips made your knees weak. And even when you tried to protest, the rising feeling in your body suck up all your power. He was in control, and he paralyzed the every inch of you forcing his tongue inside your mouth to start a wild dance. You felt so dirty, yet so excited, and this all was so bad but so good at the same time. You hated yourself for these feelings.

A shiver went through your spine as you felt his strong hand moving lower towards your chest, grabbing one of your breasts through the clothes. Unconsciously you let out a forced-back moan and just hoped he hasn't heard it. "Enjoying being touched, aren't we?" He hissed into the kiss with a pleased grin, as he continued teasing your breast with his hand. He placed the other one onto your collarbone to caress it giving you a burning sensation. You were panting despite your greatest trying, which made him more self-consciousness. You saw where this was going, and you didn't like it at all.. at least that was that you tried to tell yourself.

You flinched as his curious hand has started wandering again, lower and lower. Your stomach was trembling as he smoothly drew his fingers down the fabric. No, no, not there... You wanted to make his stop, but then the feeling of his lips on your neck made you moan instead. He was sucking you hard there, planning to make a mark you. It was hard, really hard to think straight. He knew those ways to make you wear.

"You know, you were pretty clever." He started, after leaving a hickey on your neck. "For using this flannel to cover yourself. Honestly, I didn't think you would do that.." he chuckled in please "Maybe I should just take it away as well, to make you more vulnerable" And with some slowly move, he started to loose the knot which you've done by unwinding the sleeves of the cloth.

Sudden flashbacks hit you as you were feeling his hand around your lower part. Horrible, disgusting flashbacks. They made you sick.

"N-No.." This was the only thing you could force out of your mouth and even this short word took away all of your energy. Tears quickly gathered in your eyes and started flowing down on your cheeks.

You didn't want to feel this again.

First, he ignored you, so after gathering all of your strength you continued begging to him "Please.. please s-stop. I'm begging you..."

"Maybe you should have thought about the consequences-.." he hissed at you but startled for a minute as he saw your quickly changed expression. He couldn't put this expression of yours anywhere. He looked away with confused eyes, then, after a bit hesitation, he stepped backward, letting you space. You quickly crouched and lift your head to your knees, embracing them. Ignoring him, you just let the emotions took over you.

Dennis was watching you without saying anything, but after a minute of waiting, he nervously set his glasses. "I..." he didn't find the right words "I was supposed to inform you about the tonight's ceremony, so.. I-I'll just do it." He frustratedly said in the end. Then after a forced cough, he continued "The monster is a really sensitive being. It presents the highest form of the human evolution." you didn't make any reaction, but he decided not to stop. "It thinks that the time of the common humanity is over. I hope it makes you relieved. You'll have the opportunity for being near to some extraordinary being." Then with a pause, he examined you. Still no reaction from you, but it didn't seem to matter. "I wanted to take your last shirt as well, but... I will not do that." He added quietly. "Because tonight is a sacred night."

Then after a bit of hesitation, he went to the door, but before shutting it, he turned back at you to stare at you from the head to the toe once more. No reaction, only small trembling. He let out a deep sigh to change his tone and expression to deadly serious.

"Soon it'll be over."

.  
You were alone in the darkness once again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> //Guess who chose to write shameful kinky fanfiction instead of sleeping until 1:30am? Yeah *puts up hands*   
> Whoops~☆ *shrugs innocently*
> 
> So yeah it was kinda.. fun to write lol, hope you like it as well~☆
> 
> As always, thank you for your support! ♡♡//


	12. Chapter 12

The heavy touch of his on your skin which made you goosebumps. Grabbing and dragging you painfully, while you mustn't make a sound at all. No, you had to stay silent, otherwise, others would have found out... The warm sweaty hands around you, making you feel suffocated. You didn't want to do this. You wanted to escape. But you didn't have a choice. Well.. once you had. The shaky grab on the shotgun, aiming it to the cause of your suffering. Your uncle. The shot missed, he's alive. And you're not a murderer. He took you after you father's death to continue the abuse. To make your every day's life like a hell.

Was this all worth it?   
If you could have aimed properly...

By loud panting, you tried to get out all the horrible memories of your mind with low success. Tears, like streams, were flowing down your face and dropped heavily onto your knees that you've been embracing. Your lungs were squeezed, you felt like you were suffocated. You didn't know how long you've been sitting there... This panic attack seemed to be lasting further than the other ones. With some shaky swallow, you tried to calm yourself down. Fuck those memories, you had a bigger issue now. If you don't find any solution in a few hours, you... C'mon, you had to pull yourself together, for god's sake!

With slowly moves you stood up, supporting yourself by the wall. You trod to the bathroom and looked at the old mirror. Such a crying mess, huh... that's exactly how you looked like now. So you put your hands under the water and washed your face. The pair of eyes that were looking back at you now became determined to the final goal. You had to get out of here.

And you were not afraid to do anything to implement it.

You remembered about that nail that has been lying at the door frame. You had to find that. So with quick steps, you rushed to the wall and started searching it. Fortunately, it was not too hard to find it, so after picking it up, you had to start thinking about the next step. Maybe.. maybe you could use this, to somehow scratch that old door frame out around the handle, and open door. It seemed a really slow and frustrating solution -not to mention also this plan was bleeding from a lot of wounds-, but it was better than nothing. You had to be fast and quiet, because.. obviously you couldn't let your keeper find it out.

First thing first, you peeked out of the keyhole, looking for any movement. You didn't hear or see anything though, so you guessed he was away. And it meant your chance was here. Focusing on the possible place of the lock, you started scratching the dry-rotten old door frame...   
__________________________________

Scratch.. scratch... scratch....

You weren't sure how long you've been there, trying to escape with unshakeable determination. It seemed like an eternity with no significant success. But you couldn't give up now. You flinched and almost dropped the nail at the sudden sound of the opening door. Quickly crouching down, you looked through the keyhole with growing nerves. Your stomach twisted as you saw who came into the other room.

It was an old woman who you've never seen.

She was looking around carefully, most likely in order to search something. She looked... scared. Maybe... maybe she could help you. This simple possibility made you trembling. The exit of this hell opened in front of you once again. Gathering all of your strength, you let out a deep sigh. But in the moment you wanted to cry out for help, the door behind her suddenly swung open by your captor. You quickly covered your mouth in order not to let out any voice even by accident.

"What are you doing here Dr. Fletcher?" he asked in a serious voice.

"Oh I'm sorry, I couldn't find the toilet." she giggled innocently. "I thought I can find it, but this place is bigger than it looks first. By the way, Dennis –" You flinched at the name and started wondering what kind of relationship can have these two people. "Is this a kind of working room of yours? Are these clothes concerning to every individual?" She pointed somewhere, but it was out of your sight. But as you remembered, there were clothes hanging in different styles.

"Well... Since none of us has the same taste when it comes to fashion, indeed." He said setting his glasses.

"Barry told some things about these habits of yours, but it's fascinating to see it by my own eyes." She gushed putting together her hands. "By the way is that the computer that Barry has also talked me about? Where you make videos for everyone?"

"Yes.." his voice started to become a bit darker this time. "When there's an important message for all of us or just... someone wants to share something with the others, we use this. I and Patricia are sadly not really allowed to use it, speaking that we share... "harmful" messages. I don't think it in that way, but who am I to Barry.." You could hear the sarcastic and satiric tone.

"How interesting... Are Kevin belongings are here in that room as well? Since.. nowadays he doesn't really use the Light according to Barry."

There was a little pause before your keeper answered "Of course. We keep his stuff in the drawers. There's not much though.." He said quietly. Even behind the door, you could feel the tension between them. You felt that Dennis didn't want to continue this conversation. But this was not something that would have stopped the woman from her questions.

"Now there's only one question that had remained for me." She continued softly "You know how curious I am. So could you tell me what's in that room? I feel like I don'5 have the right to check it, but still." She asked carefully pointing towards your door. You shakily swallowed, but deep inside you knew that there's no way that your keeper would tell her the truth.

"Dr. Fletcher." Dennis started giving her a forced smile. "I'm pretty sure that you're aware what curiosity can do with the cat in the phrase..."

She startled for a minute, then let out a nervous giggle. "Forgive me Dennis for being so nosy. It's my job to intrude into people's personal life. Sometimes I let myself to cross the line where I'm supposed to stay within."

"It's okay, there are only old tools, nothing more in that room. By the way Dr. Fletcher the bathroom is on the other way of the corridor. I'll show you the right way."

The woman hesitated for a minute then nodded "Thank you, Dennis." And the two of them left the room, making everything in complete silence.

Their conversation was useful.. well probably, but first of all, you had to get out of this room. Even if you had so many questions even about this woman.. you had to keep them back and focus on the lock again. Surely not much time left for you.   
___________________________

One scratch and another, come on, you are almost done, just one more... 

The lock clicked. The door opened.

With pulsating heart, you carefully looked out of it. No one was there. Your captor must have been with that woman, or gone outside. The field was clear. So leaving your room, you rushed to the other door which led to the corridor. After multiple trying, it was still locked. Shit, you needed to find the key somehow...

Then you looked at the computer and had another idea. Sitting down in front of it, you quickly turned on the monitor and searched any kind of page to open it. Maybe.. if there's internet here, you could inform someone that you're in danger. After typing 'Facebook.com' into the searcher, a virtual message appeared, showing there's no internet connection. Of course.. you could have thought, Dennis and that woman had even talked about it, you dummy! 

Wait a minute.. what else they were talking about? That.. Kevin guy. Maybe between his stuff, they hid the key as well. You had to find it.

They had mentioned a kind of drawer, maybe one of these under the computer... You opened them in a rush, to see if there was any important in them. Documents, papers, more papers with colored pencils... There was really nothing that you could use?? You became even more frustrated because of the failures. But then you opened the bottom drawer.

There was a box in it, whereat 'Kevin's' has been written.

Taking it out of the case, you carefully put it onto the table. You took off the top of it to see what's in that box. A notebook was lying there with the sign: Notes on it. You swallowed, a sudden nerve has taken over you. Why did you feel nervous at all? Not that anything important could happen.. right?

You opened it with growing curiosity. It was filled with different notes - huh, what a surprise -, so after a quick check, you decided to read it from the beginning.

/17th April 2014

So I started attending the therapy sessions of Dr. Karen Fletcher and she recommended me to write some thoughts after every meeting. I don't know if it'll work or not, but I she's the professional from the two of us, and I won't be the one who will say what's good or not. I just want this to end.../

Interesting.. so that woman from before, she was their therapist. Has she been dealing with all of the individuals? You decided to read more.

/24th April 2014

She asked me if I was able to let any of the others use the Light. According to Dr. Fletcher, it was Barry who she could talk with, and she was impressed- /

Okay, for god's sake, you didn't have time for reading all of these! There were tons of messages in this notebook! You started frustratedly flipping the pages, hoping to find something useful. After a few flips though, something caught your eyes.

/15th September 2014

Dr. Fletcher told me to write this down in any cases. She said she was able to force me out to use the Light by saying out my name loudly. My body reacted because of the terrifying memories that my brain remembered to. So IMPORTANT NOTE IF ANYONE READS THIS, IN EMERGENCY, SAY IT LOUD MY NAME ________________ /

The name has been aggressively scribbled out.

No, no, no, you had to get the name, if that was true, you could use this even against the monster. You needed this name more than anything because it could even save your life. You turned the page, it looked like someone torn out some papers. You noticed the traces of writing, that unknown surely didn't want anyone to know about this. Maybe.. they were afraid that in this way they'll be vulnerable? You started flipping the remained pages in hope to find something.

Suddenly as you wanted to turn another one, you felt something.. different. This page was not like the others. You leaned above it to examine it better. If you looked at it from closer, the glued papers' sides became visible. You swallowed, and carefully tried to separate them. Much to your surprise, you didn't have to make any effort to take apart them. Your stomach though, it twisted as you see the writing on it. Through the whole paper sheet, only one name was written in shaky silhouettes, multiple times again, again and again.

Kevin Wendell Crumb

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> //I've got so many nice messages for my last chapter, I love you guys, you make me flattered~☆
> 
> Also, sorry for this kinda late update, but I was busy since today I just arrived from my very fav musician's concert, Lindsey Stirling ♡ Big thumbs up for that woman, she's amazing and inspires me so much~♡//


	13. Chapter 13

You shakily swallowed watching the scribbled paper. Whoever had written it, wanted to make sure, that the reader will remember them... But this meant that the thing that was written before had to be true. At least you wanted to believe in this. Because it meant you might have a chance against the monster. Now though you still had another issue to solve: somehow you had to find the key for the door. You wanted to rule out that possibility that there's only one key.. no, you had to keep your positivity and hope. It was the only thing that pushed you forward at this point.

Since besides that note you didn't find anything important, you started thinking about other ways to get to know the key for your escape. Then suddenly you remembered: Dennis and that woman have been talking about some videos on the computer. Maybe one of them can tell you something useful. With this hope, you sat down, grabbed the mouse and started looking through the files on the desktop. After a quick check, you startled at a number of names. 23... 23 names. Did these all belong to different individuals?! For proving it, you clicked on the first file on the left which was named: 3_Orwell.

After clicking on it, a video appeared in appeared in a new window of your captor wearing glasses and green wool sweater with light brown shirt. He resembled you to Dennis with his appearance, but his aura wasn't actually intimidating at all. He stressfully set his glasses with a deep sigh.

[Do you remember-] he started [the time of all the conquests that has happened? Do you remember when Mohamed conquest half of Europe?! People were in fear but then they said it was enough and then rose up against them! And-] he leaned closer to the camera with a serious expression on his face [this is what we should do as well against the Horde! They think they can terrorize us, but-]

You closed the video impatiently. Maybe it could have been useful for you, but definitely not now. If your keeper find you, you'll be definitely screwed. Not to mention that you didn't have much time until the deadly ceremony. You had to concentrate to the useful things now that lead you to your escape.

For the next, you clicked at a video right above the previous one which had the file name: 2_Jade. As soon as the new window opened, you got to see the man sitting in front of the computer this time in light pink cardigan and brown tank-top. You assumed by the name and clothes that now a female individual faced you. She was holding a needle angrily looking into the camera.

[Every single doctor] She started frustratedly [- Well I mean except Dr. Fletcher – has told us that we are different individuals in the same body.] After carefully moving the needle and injecting it into her side, she furiously showed the empty one towards the camera. [So then tell me.. Why the am I the only one who has to use these fuckin-]

Without hesitation, you closed this video as well. It was just simple trash, nothing else. You need information, well USEFUL information not just chatting and ranting. Ain't nobody got time for that, especially not in a situation like this! Nervously you checked the names again, hoping to find for someone, who could help you out. You stopped at the first name though, the file 1_Barry made you think. He must have been the guy Hedwig was talking about all the time. And this meant he was supposed to be responsible for that Light. So maybe he could be useful for you.

With a swallow, you double clicked to the name and saw as the new video opened. This time your captor was sitting in front of the monitor thoughtfully looking away. [I am currently wearing retro commando styled trousers, and plain indigo colored shirt... If I would not be wearing this scarf my appearance could totally be assumed like I have been in a rummage sale ugh... I don't know, nowadays I so not have any taste for fashion.. ] His voice was gentle and kind of sophisticated sounding compared to the other ones. You were just about to close this video as well when he started talking about things that caught your eyes. [I.. worry myself to sick.. It is like the time has stopped around me. I am the one who is responsible for and decides about the Light, but.. I feel like someone steal it from me when I don't pay attention.] Stressfully he massaged his forehead with a deep sigh. [The Horde always mention those who haven't suffered. I don't know what they want, but it scares me to hell.]

He also mentioned this.. "Horde" like that guy before. Who were these people? Were they individuals? Talking about people who haven't suffered.. this was something that Dennis or Patricia would do. These two for some reason really seemed to want to make a revenge. And Barry could know something about them, because he was the leader after all. So you decided to let his video go on. You didn't give up looking for the key though, so standing up, you also continued the searching.

______________________________________

It must have taken already 10 minutes to look for that god damn key without any success, so you switched your tactic and tried to find a heavy object that you could have used to break the handle down somehow. Your choice fell on a bag with full of books so with some powerful swings you attempted to at least weaken the lock on the door. Hurl after hurl, but still no success.. You started to lose all your hope in this plan and just resign yourself to this horrible faith.

Barry though, he has been talking since the beginning. He mentioned something about a getting up between Dennis and Patricia and their bad relationships with the other members. Also that because of some bad memories they were dedicated to clean this world from those who haven't experienced the real suffer. From those.. Impures if you were hearing it clearly. Actually you haven't really been paying attention to him, only to catch some words hoping that they'll help you out. If you remembered right, he mentioned this story about the monster as well that Dennis and his companion believed in, and that even if the others don't want to believe in its existence, they are afraid of what can Dennis do. He was too determined to accept the others' opinion.

[Maybe I should talk Dr. Fletcher about this..] Barry continued stressfully elbowing the table [Anyway I need some fresh air, so I am going to go for a walk.] He stood up from his place and went straight forward to the hanging clothes. After putting up his cap, he pulled off the key ring from the coat hook. [Well, this is the end of my Monday Diary. Ciao!] and the video has stopped.

You looked at the monitor blankly, dropping the heavy bag. You needed a minute to process the things you just saw. Then with a quick turn, you went to the coat hooks and nervously looked at the grey cap hanging there. After a nervous swallow, you shakily reached at the cloth and slowly lifted it.

The keys were there.

Your stomach twisted as you stared at the object flusteredly. You finally managed to find the way to the exit. It was just so unbelievable. Then finally with a deep breath, you grabbed the ring and went to the door. After several nervous attempts, you successfully heard the familiar 'click' sound as the lock has turned. At this point, it was pure music to your ears. But you mustn't have let off your guard yet.

You still had to find your way out of this hell hole.

With a careful lean, you looked around. There was nobody in the corridor, but then a sudden noise hit your ear from the direction of the assuming way of your exit. You felt your lung being squeezed by your nerves, but you had to go there. With slow silent steps, you started walking. Even the small noises made you shake like leaves in the cold wind but there was no other chance, you had to keep going. After looking into the kitchen, you didn't find anything extraordinary.. the noises came from the other part of the corridor. You remembered seeing the entrance in the living room, but first, you needed to go through the kitchen for that. So without risking to reveal yourself to whoever who caused this noise, you decided to just leave as soon as possible.

With a quick silent turn, you head towards the exit. After reaching it, you tried to open it with some powerful jolt, but no success, it didn't open. Shit, maybe, one of the keys opened it... You hated to think about this, but now you had to try out every single one in that huge ring to find the good one. You were sure that you didn't have enough time but you at least had to give it a shot.

First key, no success. The second one, no success. The third, no success.

You felt your survival chances dramatically drop after every failed trying.. But you kept continuing these desperate attempts. You just didn't want to even think about the other possibilities... Tears started flowing down on your cheeks like little streams as you were panting in despair. You flinched as you heard a sudden noise right behind you. But as soon as you turned, the sights made you freeze in fear.

It was him, your captor, climbing up on the wall, like some kind of monkey that has made its way up to a tree. You could feel his deadly aura even from the other sight of the room. This was bad. Horrible. You'll die. He or more like.. this.. will kill you in no time. You have no chance.

Suddenly though, that name has got into your mind.

Maybe.. maybe you still had a chance.

"K-Kevin Wendell Crumb" you said shakily, but he seemed not to react to it at all. You tried again this time with more power. "Kevin Wendell Crumb.. Kevin Wendell Crumb!" At this point, the desperation was crying instead of you.

He suddenly jumped onto the floor and furiously started hitting the wall near to him. He seemed to be struggling. You didn't dare to move though, you were just looking at him repeating the name in total fear. He slowly crawled into the kitchen not giving you any proper reaction. Even if he disappeared for a minute, you couldn't move an inch, your limbs felt like stones once again. Your aloneness didn't take long since the man appeared in no time with a blanket around his shoulders. His look seemed to be saner than ever. He looked so confused like he has just woken up from his sleep.

"W-who are you?" he asked quietly. You didn't dare to answer, the great fear had taken over you totally. "Did I do something? D-Did I hurt you?" His voice trembled at the second question. You didn't answer this time either but more tears appeared in your eyes. He nervously chewed his lips "You... You're here on your own, right? Because you wanted to come here... r-right?" It was impossible to force back to the constantly gathering tears, so you just sobbingly shook your head. Like getting a shot, he startled to your silent answer, but then with a nervous smile he tried to prove himself about his sanity. "I don't understand.. I swear I was on the bus after shopping but then.. I-I don't remember anything after that. Today.. today is 18th September 2014 isn't it?"

Forcing back another sob that was about breaking out, you shook your head again with an, even more, heartbroken expression. Seeing your answer made him doing an expression that you've never seen from any of the individuals before. It was pure disappointment and regret. "I can't take this anymore..." He murmured to himself quietly but then with a deep sigh, he looked at you with determined eyes. "I have a shotgun in that cabinet carefully hidden. The shells are outside in the locker under my name... Kill me." Your eyes widened to his ask. You didn't believe in your ears. His determined look didn't change even at your startle. "This is not a life... Kill me." His voice trembled and his expression became more desperate. He seemed to be totally serious about this. You guessed you didn't really have a choice. It was either you or him.

You were just about to go to the hidden shotgun when his expression suddenly changed, and he rushed to you panicking "Oh nonononono waitaminute! Don't do this he just can't accept the reality!" He gasped for breath "I'm Jade, but did Dr. Fletcher get all the emails?? We should do that-" but then like someone flicked a switch in his head, his tone had changed "I-It was just like when the famous conquest happened in 1008! This alliance reflects on our honor, this... Horde!! In other words Patricia, Dennis and that boy! Their actions are inexcusable and-!" Suddenly his tone changed again but you couldn't even follow this anymore. The only thing that has been being repeated in your mind was the fact that in, either way, you'll die here. "Everybody calm down! Ah finally! Oooh little girl" he caressed your cheek gently that made you flinch in fear "they have stolen the leadership of the Light from me, but the group will make this up." he said softly without breaking the eye-contact with you "Oh my dear, my name is Barry-" with another struggle, his expression became calm, but you could see the anger in his eyes. "We shouldn't have used that walkie talkie... We almost got caught.."

The tone of his voice.. the way of his speaking.. it broke your heart again. Hearing Hedwig again hurt you more than anything. During loud sobbing, you looked at him with begging eyes "Please stop it, Hedwig!" You cried out weakly as you started stepping backward shakily.

"Ah, they were right!" he said amazedly "You're really, really scared of us!" He smiled surprisedly still looking at you with big eyes.

You couldn't take this anymore.

With a quick turn, you moved the door of the cabinet that Kevin had talked about. "Mr. Dennis and Ms. Patricia became leaders because of me! Now I'll give them the Light! From now on no one will make fun out of me!!" He grinned in satisfaction. You didn't pay attention to him, just kept searching that gun with loud crying. After finding it, and making sure it's working, you forced a determined expression to your face. You wanted to be as self-conscious as possible for this last moment. From now on everything depended whether you could find those shotgun shells.

However as soon as you looked back to the man, his expression changed once again. He was looking at you with deadly calm and an intimidating smile on his face. He carefully set the blanket with one hand "Thank you Hedwig.." the familiar tone of voice made your blood freeze in your body. It was Patricia who was facing you now.

With growing nerves and losing courage you shakily started repeating the name again in hope to call him back "Kevin Wendell Crumb! KEVIN WENDELL CRUMB!!" You cried out in desperation.

"Kevin is sleeping far away from us." Patricia said softly "You can call him as many times as you want, but.. he won't hear you... The monster has shared his dreams with us... about a big group that can give him life. Girls.. 10 or maybe 12 next time... This is just the beginning!" You didn't want to hear this anymore. With loud protest, you turned to the door and started dragging the handle with all your might. It didn't open. C'mon this fucking door had to open somehow! But it was stuck! While hearing the painful struggle in the background, you more and more desperately tried to break that door even by tackling it with great swings.

Open, you fucking door!   
Open, open, open!

.  
.  
But the door hasn't opened.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> //Hey guys! ~☆  
> Sorry for the late posting but oh well.. I won't lie, I underestimated this chapter so much. It was way harder to write than I ever imagined lol. But I think it turned out quite good~☆
> 
> Also, I really need to control myself, because a number of words I use are really getting out of my hands! lol
> 
> Thank you for your support, love you so much!~♡//


	14. Chapter 14

Grabbing the handle frozenly you felt your heart painfully pounding in fear. You've been trapped in the cage of the lion but this time the lion came for you on its own as well. You tremblingly turned towards your enemy. He was standing there, staring at you with predator eyes. His blood vessels were pulsing on his whole upper body to the rhythm of his loud breathing. You could feel the deadly intention in his way of standing and you knew: he'll start hunting in any second. He was not your captor anymore.. it was truly a monster. 

You shakily lifted the shotgun to his direction even if not making him scared but to make yourself a bit reassured. All you had to do is act like you had a loaded shotgun, maybe it will help. Maybe it'll make him hesitate to attack. But even so, where could you run? The only exit was closed, you had the key, but didn't have enough time to open it. And since it was just the two of you here... you had no chance. But still, you had to make the best out of this situation.

He moved, stepped closer to you. Your tremble became stronger by every one of its steps. "It'S OveR" He shouted at you grinning. His voice made you flinch but you had to swallow all your fear.

He jumped towards you with grabbing hands. Move, move! For god's sake!

Forcing your frozen limbs to move finally, you dodged him by running to the other side of the room. You didn't stop and headed straight to the kitchen. Not waiting for any seconds to waste you rushed to the drawers and pulled them out forcefully. C'mon there must have been a knife here or at least something sharp! It's a fucking kitchen! After swinging out the last drawer on the right, you noticed a great kitchen knife and without hesitation you grabbed it. Feeling now a bit safer, you turned back to where you thought your chaser was. Though you didn't expect him to reach you in the moment your eyes met. He was standing in front of you, looking at you with killing eyes. You flinched in fear to the sight of him, but gathering every single courage of yours, you swung the knife with all your might. However, even though you did it with a full blast, as soon as it touched his skin the blade broke down and flew off of the grip, causing your hand to be in horrible pain. You cried out but it was more because of fear and despair than the actual pain you felt. He was an invulnerable killing machine.

"WhAt'S WrOng? DiD yOu rEaLly tHinK yOu cAn HuRt mE wITh tHaT?" He kept grinning at you with a crazy expression. "mY sKIn iS hArD lIKe sTeeL" Both of you knew who was stronger. He was just playing with you. Like a cat do with a mouse. With a quick move, you wanted to head to the corridor and get some time to think. But your chaser, he didn't plan this, so with a quick grab on your shirt around your hips, he easily stopped you. The sudden jerk made you moan painfully. You tried to untie the knot you'd enwinded to cover yourself before, but it seemed that you'd done a really good job with that because it didn't really want to be released. "YoU dOn'T wANt tO lEaVe dO yoU?" He said contentedly. "I wAnt tO pLaY wItH yoU a BiT mOrE" Instead of any response, tears started gathering in your eyes as you were desperately pulling out the sleeves from the knot. Since you didn't have any better idea, you used the remained blade from the knife to cut down the flannel of your hip. It was music to your ears to hear the thin piece of cloth splitting into two parts and letting you out of this material cage. Almost falling over, you managed to get to the entrance of the kitchen, so without thinking, you dropped the damaged knife and headed straight to the corridor.

Leaving him back, you were now running in your pants, panting loudly as you felt your limbs becoming heavier by every step of yours. Every place was a dead end so not having a better room, you decided to go straight back to the one with the computer. Maybe you could hide there, and... get some time to escape after that. Your chance was low.. almost impossible, but there was no other choice.

You rushed into the room, shutting the door behind you and quickly locking it with the key. Ok, now think! You had to hide somewhere! There wasn't actually a proper place here for that. So without any better plan, you hid under the table, using the chair for covering yourself. It was not the most elegant way, but god damn it, you just wanted to somehow live. Probably wasn't the most effective one either, but.. it was what it was... Trying to keep your calm, you didn't move your eyes away from the door. He could be here in any second...

The door suddenly dented with a loud noise. You flinched as you saw the mutation on it. Forcing back to your growing tremble, you squeezed the grab on the shotgun to your chest, waiting in silence. In the next moment, the door swung open, bumping into the wall and the hanging clothes.

He came in, breathing loudly as he was looking around slowly. His intimidating intention made your heart pound painfully, your whole body was shaking as you tried to swallow back the pure fear. Tears were flowing down on your cheeks like little streams again, and the imaginary squeeze around your lungs made you suffocate. You knew: if he finds you, you'll be dead.

"WhY dO yoU mAkE tHis sO diFfIcuLt? YoU caN't rUn aWay fROm yOuR fAitH!" He shouted angrily. "JusT gIvE uP!!" he set his teeth as he continued to pay attention to any movement.

Biting painfully your lower lip, you tried to muffle any sounds you made. Shutting closed your eyes, you repeated t yourself that everything would be fine. He will never find you. You are going to get out of here to live a normal life. That you won't die here...

He slowly turned towards you, with a grin on his face.

"THerE yOu aRE!" He yelled pleasantly as he started to come closer. Your heart beats drastically fastened to his dry voice.

This was it.

This was the end.

He pushed away the chair with a forceful move and it loudly hit the wardrobe.

You were vulnerable.

You quickly lifted the shotgun to his direction with yelling "KEVIN WENDELL CRUMB" again. No success, he easily took away the weapon and with force, he managed to bend it. You were panting in fear, looking in despair as your only hope was being destroyed with ease.

"DiD yoU rEaLLy ThiNk yOu cAn TriCk mE? THaT I wOn'T nOtiCe iT'S nOt LoAdeD? YOu ReaLLy aRE aN iDiOt!" He laughed hysterically and after grabbing your leg with a light movement, he easily pulled you out from under the table.

You cried out in pain as you felt your back abrading to the floor, making your dirty white shirt being turned up from your stomach. After closing your eyes, you shakily raised up your arm in a weak protest, but couldn't do anything else. You were desperately crying, begging for your life at this point. You didn't want to die, for fuck's sake! You wanted to live!

You just wanted to live...

.   
.   
.

You didn't feel anything though.   
Did you die already?   
no...

He.. was not doing anything...

Then you felt something. A cold finger on your stomach. It made your whole body shiver.

"You.." This voice wasn't similar to the last one at all. It sounded so.. broken in disbelief. Panting loudly, after forcing in yourself some courage, you slowly opened your eyes to see what was going on. It was him, your captor – Dennis again. You felt it, you just felt it. It was him, and the monster was gone. He was staring at your stomach in a broken grin.

No.. he was staring those scars on your body.

"You ARE Pure..." He whispered in awe as he couldn't move his eyes away from your body. You didn't know what was happening, but after managing to do a quick kick, you crawled back to the wall with trying to balance your suffocated breathing. Not breaking the eye-contact with him, you swallowed some of your pants. You were in the middle of a panic attack, and god-knows-what else could happen. He was still grinning at you from his place, but his expression quickly changed into a confused one. "I-I can't believe I could find a Pure by accident... I-I should have been more careful. Everything seemed to be working fine. But I didn't expect you to ruin all my plans" he giggled darkly. "I won't hurt you though. You've suffered enough."

His last statement made your stomach twist in disgust "W-Why should I believe you? You almost fucking killed me.." You said quietly, forcing up a cynical smile.

"It's because I thought you were one of those rotten Impures... But you're not. You're Pure! Just like us!" He told you with a gentle expression.

"I'm nothing like you!" You hissed in broken voice looking straight at him with your already cried out eyes. Even though you wanted to sound angry to him, your tone became sadder and sadder at every word you added "I-I thought... that I can help you. When you told some things about the past." Tears started flowing down on your face again "I thought I can help you. I-I wanted to help you since w-we were similar... but.." you shakily swallowed a sob "It's over. I was weak and manipulative. But. Not anymore." You forced through yourself the sobs that blocked you from speaking properly, but eventually, you've made it.

He was looking at you in silence. His expression was serious like he was paying attention carefully to every one of your words. But after your last sentence, he stroked his hand on his sweaty forehead. "Not that... you could have helped us anyway." You felt through his voice that he was struggling with the words. "Nobody can..." Then he stood up after a deep sigh "You can go home and pretend that this whole stay didn't happen. You're free."

"I don't have anything like that." You whispered after a bit of hesitation, looking at the floor. He wanted to leave but this sentence of yours startled him. You weren't sure, why did you say this, but you did.

"What? I was spying on you for days, and I know you live in the same house with your uncle. You have someone to look after you. You have a loving family."

Even the mention of your uncle made you want to vomit. "No, that's..!" You started but couldn't find the right words. You didn't want to open up for him, but it was tearing you apart. It was like a wound that couldn't heal. He noticed your sudden struggle. "I-I just... that's not something I can call for a home..." you responded hesitantly.

There was a small break between the two of you. He was looking at you silently, thinking the proper answer. "Well.. I'm pretty sure I made your last week an absolute hell. Let me help you then." 

"Why would you do that?" You lifted your head towards him in confusion.

"For apologizing"

His answer raised up your temper. "That's bullshit!" You snapped "You know that there's nothing that you could make up the things with, after what you've done! As I said, you wanted to fucking kill me! Do you think I can ever forgive you?!"

"I don't want you to forgive us. Just to try to understand." He said quietly.

For a second, you didn't know what to respond to this. You've felt a familiar funny feeling to raise in your stomach... hilarious isn't it? You were ridiculous. "Y-You can't help me anyway..." Your voice became shy for all of a sudden.

"You can never know." He smiled at you softly. Again, this funny feeling started to gather in your stomach. You hated this feeling. "Let's say, I help you to find a place, or.. simply just feel somewhere safe, and then our ways can separate again. I want to somehow compensate this... whole thing. I know I can't.. but. We Pures should join against this cruel world. What do you say?"

You hesitated. Every part of your body wanted to refuse him, but deep inside.. you felt his intentions. That this time he didn't want to harm you. And to be honest, you needed some backup, to finally face with your uncle. That asshole should have already been in jail for years. So even if you didn't like this idea, he might have been the only one right now who could understand you. And this was enough. So with a deep sigh, you looked at him, with determined eyes.

"A-Alright. Let's just say.. for a week. And then we will see what will happen." You reached out your palm for a handshake.

He smirked to your answer and shook it. "Good choice, Young Lady."

.  
Ridiculous.. you were just so ridiculous.

.  
.  
But after all, you really were just an idiot, weren't you?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> //*looks out of the trashcan in awe* Holy shit we hit 20K.. I can only repeat myself, but thank you for this enormous support ;w; ♡
> 
> So *sighes* we ended the base story of the movie. We finally reached this milestone! I'M PROUD OF ALL OF US! WE DID IT!! Why I say "we"? Because I couldn't do that without you. I can give up so many stuff if I lose my interest in it. But thanks to you, I still could be creative~☆
> 
> Now well *nervous cough* idk what will happen lol. I mean I have some plans but god-knows-what will come across in the story. I only wish I can keep it up. I wanna make a good story after letting my biggest help to go (basically the main story), but mmm well we will see~☆
> 
> Anyways, I love you, see you in the next one!~☆//


	15. Chapter 15

Dennis recommended you a place where the two of you could go. To be honest, as hilariously as it sounded, you were not really willing to leave this basement, a sudden anxiety has taken over you. Maybe deep inside, you were afraid of the fact that if people find out that you're not missing and alive, they'll make a scene about it. The police must have been seeking for you, right? After all, you've been missing for more than a week. And... well if they make a scene about you, your uncle will appear eventually as well. You really, really didn't want to face with him. At least not yet...

Fortunately, after getting back your old clothes that Dennis had taken away, they lifted up your self-esteem too. The guy invited you to his working room to have a place to change while he disappeared into the kitchen after offering to make food for both of you. Being alone in his room made your nerves gather again. It was actually weird not to feel the danger behind every corner. Thought you weren't able to trust him yet because of.. obvious reasons, but for once, he seemed to be more sincere since he got to know that you were "Pure" as well.

Since there was a mirror in the room, you decided to check yourself after putting up your old stuff. To be honest it was kind of weird to wear jeans and layered clothes after your forced stay, and actually, seeing yourself as your "old self", made your stomach twist. You looked so normal.. so average... like nothing had happened. Well.. not that you wouldn't have done similarly before this all kidnapping mess. With all your might you tried to hide your past by isolating yourself from the others. And let's just say it worked pretty well. But now it was looking like maybe faith wanted to do something else with you.

Having a deep breath, you decided to look for the man, so you headed straight to the kitchen. He was there, cutting the sandwiches in half that he had been making. However, his aura.. it felt somehow different. He was humming a quiet tune while preparing the meal. You were so sure that he was not Dennis. As he turned to you, the familiar expression of his made you realize that it was Patricia who you were facing.

"Dennis asked me to make something for you before your leave." She smiled at you gently while pointing to the table "C'mon, sit down, sit down!"

Remembering the last lunch time with her made your stomach being squeezed. They were.. not really great memories. Once again the unpleasant feeling appeared just after you were pretty sure it had disappeared finally. She stayed intimidating in your eyes no matter what kind of deal you and Dennis had made... you just simply couldn't trust her. Since you didn't dare to say 'no' to her, after sitting down to the furniture, you slowly started eating the fresh-made sandwich, not taking away your eyes of the woman. Patricia sat down next to you after a sigh, clasping of her fingers while watching at you. Her struggling could be seen as she was hesitating what to say.

"I would like to apologize Sweetheart. For what I did, for scaring you, for threatening you. For everything." She said finally in a soft voice.

"Why would you do that?" You frowned.

"It's simple Darling. You're Pure which means you're not an enemy. We should ally not continuing this war."

Looking away quietly, you started thinking about what she'd said. Everyone in this goddamn place used this "Pure" and I "Impure" term. You weren't sure, but they must have meant something like.. those who had only happy and great life were the Impures while the others like you were the Pures. Because remember, Dennis started calling you Pure after seeing your scars on your stomach. This should make sense.. right?   
You didn't want to disagree with her. Finally, she wanted to be on your side, so... you should have appreciated that. Also, you were too exhausted to start a fight where most likely you would have got out as a loser. "It's okay. The apology is accepted." You said firmly.

She chuckled softly at your answer "I know that you didn't mean it sincerely. You couldn't, it would be really naive of you. But I'll take it for now. You'll see that I'm not a bad person. I only did everything for a better good." You tried not to turn around your eyes too visibly. Of course, it was barely impossible to believe her. Killing people for better good.. you were not okay with this bullshit. "Dennis too... You will see, that he only wants the best for us, and now that he knows you're Pure yo-" she started but in a second, her expression changed into a more serious one. You knew it was not Patricia anymore.

The man carefully took out his glasses and swept it with his orange handkerchief. You didn't let out any noise just looked as he was quietly doing his thing. After setting back of his glasses and clear his throat, you noticed that Dennis was sitting again on your side. "Patricia wanted to talk to you a little bit, but we both should leave soon. I'm pretty sure his place causing you depressive thoughts after all." He said looking away a bit frustratedly. You wondered why he was behaving like this. Maybe he didn't really want the woman to say something so he took over the light instead. But you were grateful for his help, so you decided not to ask anything that might have made him more stressed.

"Okay.." you nodded and with a bit of hesitation you also added "Thank you for the sandwiches by the way."

"Don't thank me, it's the least that I could do." He gave you a faded smile.

His smile again, it gave you a funny feeling, but you tried to muffle it, at least for now. You had more important things to do. You were not sure though, where did you want to go, and who could help your problem, but for once, you wanted to trust Dennis...

Just why did you have to be like this...

After eating the meal, the guy looked at you with his eyes asking whether you were ready. Understanding what he tried to say, you nodded.

"Let's go then."   
_____________________________

For both of your acceptation, you chose to go in narrow streets, to isolate yourself of the other inhabitants. You guessed that neither of you wanted to really reveal this whole thing, because.. you could never know who you could pass by in this little town.

Not to mention that before you turned to walk through some more hidden places, you saw a poster as you were passing by. There was your photo printed on it, saying: "Missing girl, 19-year-old, last seen at Raymond Central on 11th October. If you've seen her please call us: xx-xx-xxx-xxxx" You quickly turned away with heavy heart and twisted stomach. It must have been your uncle who'd done that. And even the thought of going back to him made you sick. You were not going back there. After seeing your reaction, Dennis recommended you to chose the alley ways instead. You were kind of grateful for him because of that.

To break the almost uncomfortable silence between the two of you "So.." you started quietly. He looked at you breaking his previous stare at the ground. "You didn't really explain who we're going to meet."

"Didn't I? Well, she's called Dr. Fletcher." He answered briefly. The name made your eyes widen.

"That Dr. Fletcher?!"

"Do you know her..?"

"Uhm..." you hesitated whether you should tell him about your 'stalking'. Well, actually he couldn't really do anything with it at this point. "I heard about her from the videos."

"What kind of videos?" He frowned.

"Uhmm.." you scratched the back of your head nervously "You know those messages that you all made. For example, Barry was talking about her in the whole time."

"I see.." he commented thoughtfully but then realized something. "Wait a minute. Did you watch the whole video that Barry made?" He looked at you confusedly.

You felt where this could go, and you didn't really like it. "Y-yeah."

"So then you knew where to find the keys..."

Yup, he guessed it. At least not that it would matter now anyway. "Well... I mean.. I had to open that door somehow." you answered sheepishly with a small shrug.

His strict expression softened into a smirk to your response "Smart girl. Even if it sounded better not knowing that you tried to escape from me."

You chuckled quietly. Why were you acting like this? You two were joking about all of this like you'd been spending an awesome time in that basement. No, you had not. Then why didn't you feel bad at all...?

"So.." you started finally "Why are we going to meet her?"

"She has been the one and only supporter of ours for a while now. And basically, she was there when we needed help. I thought that she could help us out once again."

You looked at him, frowning with a confused look. "Do you want to ask her to give me a room for some days? T-There's no way she would let me in. Also, I don't have money that I could give her in exchange."

"She'll let you stay there. Because she'll pity you for sure."

Your eyes widened for a minute "B-But then.." you started but lowered your voice until he couldn't hear you.

"Yeah?"

"Do you want to tell him this.. all that happened? She'll call the police!" You discredited.

Dennis though, he only started smiling, even if you could feel a bit nerves in his voice. "She won't, she hadn't betrayed us until now and-"

"Dennis what you'd done is illegal!" you interrupted him worriedly then continued shyly, fearing about the possibility that someone might be listening. "Y-You can't just kidnap people a-and sacrifice them for whatever good that you say! If anyone knows this they'll get you into jail!"

"And why do you exactly care?" He frowned at you with crossed arms.   
You looked at him, swallowing nervously. Yeah, he was right.. why did you care? It was not your problem if he got into jail. What he'd done was wrong and he should pay for it. But still...

"Honestly? I don't know." you smiled at him bitterly. His expression softened after seeing yours. Looking down at the floor you started thinking silently. There were some things that you wanted to say but you just couldn't find the right words. So instead he was the one who started talking again.

"You won't have to do anything, just leave it to me. And.."

You looked back at him, and this was when you saw his serious expression in his eyes. "And?"

"I know it's too soon to ask something like this... But for once, trust me."

Without thinking and hesitating, you nodded.

Still not showing any will to change huh? Trying not to fall into the gap when you close your eyes on purpose. You said that no one can manipulate you anymore. Still, now you're willing to trust that person who you should avoid the most. Don't even try to tell anyone that you're not a stupid naïve girl.

.  
Because you were.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> //*breaks the door*   
> Hey guys I'm back!  
> Sorry for the longer break, I had to make up all the stuff that can possibly come. And I have some plans whohooo~☆
> 
> I wanted to add a chill chapter again, cus oh well that monster fight wasn't joke.~ Sorry if it's not that creative or stuff but oh well I'm trying. lol
> 
> So yeah, I try to set everything back to normal, I hope I can keep my schedule~
> 
> See you in the next one~☆
> 
> Oh and NOTE: Idk if there are anybody who was at PAX East, but if any of you were: I hope you had the greatest time in your life there~ ♡♡ (saw some panels and it looked just as amazing as other times) //


	16. Chapter 16

The two of you finally arrived at the location, which was basically a block of flats in the city center. One of the houses was Dr. Fletcher's, and actually, this arrival made you nervous again even if you'd managed to face this feeling during your way. In complete silence, you followed your partner up to the stairs in the old building, looking for the proper door. Then suddenly he stopped just before the last floor. You felt your heart pounding in your throat, these mixed feelings started taking over you again. Dennis must have felt your worry so he turned towards you before knocking.

"Don't stress over this. As I said you don't have to do anything special. If she asks you then answer her, but that's all."

"Is this so visible that I'm being nervous right now?" You answered in sheepish voice.

He smirked "Well you look like you could collapse at any minute. But don't worry, Dr. Fletcher is really sympathetic."

"If you say so.."

Well, this conversation didn't reassure you for sure. If he could notice your stress then the old lady must see through your trying. Especially knowing that she was a therapist. You didn't want to run away though, according to Dennis she could be willing to help you at least a bit. And that was enough for now.

After some knocks on the wooden door, it opened and the familiar face appeared from behind it.

"Dennis is that you? Am I correct?"

"That is me, Dr. Fletcher." He responded with a smile whereto the old woman gave a wide grin in exchange.

"Oh, come in, come in!" She opened the door excitedly "And tell me Dennis" she chuckled softly as her eyes examined you under a moment.

"Who is this gorgeous woman on your side?" You felt a pale blush quickly rush across your cheeks at her compliment. It was basically an alien feeling to hear something like that from a stranger.

"She's a.." the man started but hesitated in order to think a proper answer "friend."

"Yeah" you immediately agreed with a smile.

"A friend huh?" She smirked gently then gave you a hand to shake. "My name is Dr. Karen Fletcher. What is yours, Sweetheart?"

"I'm Casey Cooke, it's nice to meet you." You shook her hand sheepishly. Dennis flinched lightly to this. It was actually the first time hearing your name as well. He made an imaginary note in his mind about it.

"It is indeed." She continued "I'm the therapist of Kevin and all of his individuals, but I'm pretty sure you already knew that. The guys, however, they haven't told anything about you, but I'm happy that they finally started to make some friends."

"She's new." Your partner interfered firmly.

"I see I see. Well, please make yourself at home!" She clapped excitedly and let you have space to come in.

You nodded and stepped carefully inside, looking around in the cozy apartment. Passing him by, the guy looked at Dr. Fletcher and lowering his tone, he started seriously "Did you get my message?"

The old lady's expression also changed hearing that. "Yes and I'm curious what could be so important. Let's go to the working room, and we'll talk about this."

With a kind move, she directed you to sit down. As soon as the three of you did so, the upcoming nerves have started pooling down in your stomach again. Repeating the same the same thing over and over again, you tried to calm yourself down. Why have you been so nervous? What this conversation cost you? It was not you who played riskily, but Dennis. Then? Just act naturally, this can't be that hard.

"So tell me, what's your problem exactly?" She was looking softly both of you with crossed legs.

"You see Dr. Fletcher, she is having a really hard time now." He started discretely referring you. "She needs a place to stay for a few days until she can set her things down. Now I know it's really big to ask but I thought maybe you could let her stay here for that time."

For a moment, the old lady couldn't really say anything in response. Her warm expression faded and it was clear that she was struggling to say the proper things. "I'm... flattered Dennis that you thought of me, but you know... it's not that easy. I have clients who come into this apartment for sessions just like you. And some of them deal with people pretty poorly, they are not as stable as you."

This made him think hard since he had to find out a great reason to make the woman convinced. You were sitting next to him silently, moving your eyes from one to another. It seemed your plan didn't work...

"Look, Dr. Fletcher, she can't go home at the moment, but obviously she can't stay with me either. You've been a huge support for Kevin and all of us, that's why I turned to you with this ask. Because I trust you enough."

'To trust you enough' this phrase moved something in her mind. It made her vulnerable. "I-I don't know.. I really can't do that." She answered quietly. For a moment you thought maybe this was enough to persuade her, but no, this seemed that it just wasn't good enough.

Dennis though, he didn't plan to give up. "Please, you're our only hope."

Everyone went silent for a minute. She was thinking, really hard, fighting with her own opinions just because the guy's words were so heart-breaking. He was playing, acting, you saw it wasn't the best, but seemed just enough.

"I'm sorry Dear" she turned towards you after a long hesitation. "but could you wait here? I would like to talk with Dennis among four eyes." with a smile she looked at you hoping for your understanding.

"Uhm, sure" you smiled back sheepishly. Actually, the woman's previous statement made your stomach twist since it felt like she was going to refuse the two of you. But still, there was hope now. You had to admit that Dennis was one hell of a stubborn and persistent guy.

Both of them stood up and the old lady invited your captor into the kitchen leaving you alone. No... this was not correct. He was not your captor anymore. A friend? Not one either even if you tried to convince Dr. Fletcher with this story. He was only an acquaintance for you... It was creditable that you could clearly see he was trying to recompense his mistake. But still, a small part of you wanted to keep your guide up considering what he'd done. If those funny feelings could just stop finally...

If you concentrated on the other two people, you could slightly hear what they were talking about.

"Dennis, I thought you'd learned about the last time, that there's no point to acting in front of me. What is this? Who's that girl? Please tell me." She said with concerned eyes. This made the guy startle for a minute, but after a bit of hesitation, he started in serious.

"She's in a big mess right now. She can't go home and I can't invite her to my apartment, because.." he stopped for a second, but decided to continue "I-I can't. She really needs a place, a house, something where she can feel safe. And the police is after her-"

"What?" As she interfered, her eyes became more concerned. "Did she do something illegal? Did you want to bring here a criminal?!"

"No, no, no it's nothing like that." He quickly corrected the woman. "She's fine, she didn't do anything wrong."

"Then? Why else would the police be after her?" She asked confusedly. The sudden silence of her partner made a horrible suspicion raise up in her mind. "Wait a minute. She's on the posters outside right?" He didn't answer right after which led to even more concern. "Dennis, please answer me."

"Yes, she is." he said it with a deep sigh.

The therapist's eyes widened in shock. The small puzzle parts became one all of the sudden. "That basement... The calls and e-mails that one of you has kept sending to me... T-The posters of the missing girl." Every one of her sentences made her voice trembling in fear. She couldn't help but imagine the worst possibility. Especially because of the constant suspicion of Dennis and his little gang and their intention that she'd already known about. "Don't t-tell me, that.."

You've felt the tension growing in the air between them even from your place, as you were still stalking the two of them. This kind of atmosphere made your stomach twist as well. Knowing that now there's no way to him to be able to lie, he frustrated grabbed the woman shoulders not breaking the eye contact with her. "I had to do it. For everyone's sake, for Kevin's sake, I had to! And you have to understand it!" He set his teeth in anger.

Dr. Fletcher couldn't say anything because of the shock but silently trembling in the man's arms. She couldn't find the right words for this. Because there weren't any. "D-Dennis what you'd done is unacceptable! Did you really take the freedom of that poor girl?!" She whispered out shakily, fighting the upcoming tears back.

"I wanted to do that because this world that we live in is rotten! The monster would have clean it for us!" He snapped at her "But! She's Pure!" a dark grin appeared on his face that made his whole aura slowly becoming intimidating again even for you. "She's just like us, Dr. Fletcher!"

"D-Dennis you can't do this with the people! It's unacceptable and inhuman!" She repeated herself shakily, but seeing that her preachment did not seem to work, she gathered all of her strength for a firm command "Let me talk to Barry."

Dennis startled for a moment but snapped back again "This is a conversation that only the two of us should be part of. It's not Barry's business!"

This 'conversation started becoming a little too aggressive that made your feel anxious as well. She has been the guys' supporter for the whole time, but suddenly if you or Dennis didn't do anything you'd lose her. No, you had to interfere. But somehow, the limbs of yours became like stones that sink into the chair you've been sitting on. No.. this time you'd felt all of your courage disappear. The woman though, he stayed persistent to her right.

"Dennis, let me talk to Barry, please!"

The guy wanted to treat her again, but instead, he looked at you feeling your eyes on him. No doubt, you were staring at him with growing worry, telling him with telepathy to stop. It was not worth it, everything just has got too far. There was nothing that aggressivity could solve anyway. After noticing your concerned look, he slowly released the shoulders of the still trembling woman, sighing deeply.

"Alright.."

The two of you silently stared as the man stepped back and closed his eyes. After a moment he opened them again, and take the glasses down with a deep inhale. "What... Dr. Fletcher are you alright?" He exclaimed as he saw the old lady trembling, swiping down the tears from her face. "Dennis commanded me to use the light, but what the hell has happened." Then he looked around for a moment, and his eyes stopped at your sight. "She is here! The girl who the Horde has captured!" 

"I know Barry, I know." she responded quietly.

"Wait what?" He turned back to her in confusion "Did he tell this you?"

"Yes, but now I need your help, Barry." She lowered her voice so this time you could barely hear it. Yes, hilariously you didn't leave that place of yours, actually didn't dare, so instead, you just tried to listen to every word they were saying. The guy has finally stopped panicking and simply was paying attention to the woman. She cleared her throat before continuing "According to what Dennis said, this girl has nowhere to go. For some reason, she doesn't want to go to the police nor want them to find her. Not to mention that she can't go home. I don't know if I should trust her."

"It is weird to hear such thing from your mouth Dr. Fletcher" Barry smiled "In the basement, she didn't seem to be dangerous, to be honest. Although it is weird that she hasn't separated herself from Dennis and his group after.. all of this."

"Yes, this is what concerns me the most." She agreed "Maybe she has Stockholm-syndrome, who knows that."

"Maybe." He nodded with a serious expression "Also by letting you be here, maybe you could get to know about the purpose that the Horde has been planning. Well if it was decided by me, I would vote for helping her. It is not my apartment though, I am not the one who gives the answers."

"I see.. thank you for your help. Now could you please ask Dennis to come back? I still would like to talk with him properly."

"It is always a pleasure Dr. Fletcher" he nodded again then closed his eyes on more time. Taking back his glasses after opening his eyes, you were sure that it was Dennis in the Light again. 

The old woman looked at right in his eyes, with a kind but a bit fake smile on her face. "Alright Dennis, I decided. Come here." She said while coming back to the working room. You quickly acted like you hadn't been listening to it for the whole time. You really wanted to keep up that 'innocent' character that they were talking about. At least just for this time. The old lady came to the table checking if both of you were here already. 

"So I was thinking about this..." She started "But in the end, I knew there was only one outcome. For the first few days, until you can finish your tasks, I'll let you stay here."

Wait, what?  
Your stomach twisted to her statement.

.  
You felt that a new era could open for you with this.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> //Whoah it's almost 30K baby! Haha but seriously guys, I love you so much! ♡
> 
> Uhm about this chapter, idk. Maybe this one became a bit messy, sorry about that..
> 
> Also, I totally forgot how hard it is to write when it's not only two people in the current situation :D
> 
> See you in the next one~☆//


	17. Chapter 17

"You can stay here..." started Dr. Fletcher with a serious tone "But there are some rules that need to be followed for my clients' sake. They come here to get reassured, to tell their problems and they need to feel calm and safe for that. So during that time, I would like you to stay in the guest room or go outside if possible."

"Alright, no problem!" You nodded gratefully "Do they come in certain time? I mean for the sessions."

"Usually we discuss the dates, but it has also happened that they asked for emergency sessions, just like you did now, for example. But that's not that common, only if they have got anxiety or panic attack." She explained calmly.

You bit your lower lip while thinking "And how will I know that I can come back? How can I reach you?"

"You can send me an e-mail, I check that pretty frequently."

Dennis crossed his arms frowning "You must have a phone-"

"My phone!!" You cut him out with a loud crying out.

Both of them flinched to the sudden exclaim of yours and looked at you confusedly. With a small hesitation, you scratched the back of your head, smiling embarrassedly.

"Uhm... it's just.." you started in a weak voice, "I-I think my phone was left there.. in that place."

"Oh" Dennis said after being hit by the realization. "Yeah, I remember putting into my drawer.." the therapist frowned to him. "I'm going to go and bring it back to you after we finished with this."

"Alright, thank you" you smiled at him and he did the same in return.

"So?" He turned back to the old woman "Would it be okay if she called you on phone?"

"I don't know Dennis.." She crossed her arms, hesitating "You know exactly why I stand upon the e-mails. Some of my clients would take it as an offense if I break the sessions by picking up the phone."

"Please Dr.Fletcher just for these days." He asked her in a serious tone. She stopped to think for a minute so a deep silence has fallen onto the tree of you. You were still sitting in that chair obediently, listening to the other two's discussion. You most likely wouldn't have had the courage even to ask the therapist to let you stay here, but thanks to your partner, everything seemed to be working just fine. You would have never thought that he was such a willful and stubborn man after all. But his help was huge for you now.

"Alright," she sighed frustratedly "it's just for few days anyway." 

A wide grin appeared on your face after hearing her answer "Thank you! Thank you so much!" You exclaimed and quickly stood up to go closer to her in order to shake her hand.

"Gosh why am I so permissive when it comes to helping others.." said the woman with a heartwarming smile as she accepted your grateful handshake.

Dennis though, he only observed this, and he couldn't help but smile at you. He knew that Dr. Fletcher was a trustworthy choice and even if the two of you had to reveal that secret of yours, she wouldn't tell that anyone. Because of first thing first, she wanted to examine you too. And this gave enough time. He knew that eventually when you'll feel safe again, you'll face with your problems anyway. But at least during this time you had a roof over your head.

____________________________

After finally discussing everything, your partner decided to quickly go back to your phone leaving the two of you alone. The therapist invited you to the dining table for a cup of hot tea that she had been making before you stepped in. Accepting it, both of you sat down with now the cups in your hands.

"By the way how long have you been working with people?" you asked discretely in order to break the silence.

The woman looked at you surprisedly then gave you a gentle smile "I don't even know Sweetheart. More than 40 years."

"Whoah" you answered in awe while blowing the hot liquid. "You must have a great experience."

"Yes." she giggled warmly "But there's always something new with every one of my clients. 40 years may seem to be really long, but there wasn't any time when I felt like I would find this job boring. Especially when I started working with people with diseases." Her smile widened at this point "They're... wonderful people who need help to set their life together. Getting to know them and their backstory. Slowly managing to read their mind in order to help them... it's the best thing I could ask for."

It amazed you how softly could she speak still the things that have been said were so powerful in a kind of way. She was really passionate about her job, it was clearly her life.

"They're not just clients you know." She continued "They're like.. my children. I look after them and make sure that they're following the right path in their life. Even if they don't think about this similarly, for me, it's like a family."

"A family.." you whispered out quietly while staring the table.

"Yes, just like a big family." She repeated it in a soft voice. "By the way Dear, I would like to examine you as a therapist someday." You lifted up your eyes quickly, looking at her confusedly. "You goaded my curiosity." She shrugged with a giggle as an answer to your reaction "Kevin has always been struggling with making friends due to his individuals, actually, you're the first, who stayed with him while knowing about his disease. Especially that it seems like Dennis likes you and wants the best for you. This particularly made me want to get to know you better. You know, Dennis.. I know only a few things about him since he was always... let's just say the black sheep with Patricia. So you must be really special, my child."

You swallowed nervously "I'm really not, but thank you for thinking me in this way"

"I hope that you don't mind though if I'll ask you some questions later." She giggled softly.

You couldn't help but nod to her. After all, these were just some innocent questions, right? They couldn't hurt you. At least you hoped not.

But it was another story for now anyway.

______________________________________________

The woman showed you the guest room, so you quickly settled into it as well. You were chilling on your new bed, staring out through the window thoughtfully while looking the rushing vehicles passing by in the distance. It was weird.. being in a proper house again. Staying in a room, sitting on a bed without thinking of escaping. Everything was so normal, except your thoughts. Somehow.. for the first time in a while, you felt so alone. Maybe it was because practically you were never alone during the basement. You knew he was not there all the time, but still, his presence has been keeping floating there, haunting your senses in every minute. It felt depressing and scary, but.. as hilariously it sounded, the lack of him felt even more painful. 

Gosh, these hilarious thoughts again..

You frustratedly sighed while running your fingers through your dirty hair. It reminded you that you should not miss the shower this time. During your stay at the other place, you had to admit that there was a constant stress under the shower, fearing that one of them will come in uninvited -after all, there was no lock on the bathroom door. But fortunately, this idea hasn't come in your ex-captor's mind to your luck.

A sudden knock on your room's door has intervened your thinking. How long have you been staying like that? It definitely didn't feel much, but who knows. You went to the wooden entrance and opened it. Your partner was standing there, holding your phone with crossed arms. There was an unpleasant expression on his face. He was in Dennis' clothes, but you were pretty sure that it was not him this time.

"Hey" you welcomed him with a shy smile. "Is everything alright?"

He handed your property to you without any greeting, looking at you angrily. "Dennis asked me to come here... Take it, it's yours."

Your stomach twisted as soon as you got to hear Hedwig's voice. The last time the two of you were together, well... it was not really pleasant time. After getting that walkie talkie, hell broke loose. You slapped him and he hurt you as well in exchange during that chaotic time, so now both of you were feeling the tension between the two of you. "Thank you, Hedwig.." biting your lower lip nervously, you then asked in a quiet voice "Are you still angry at me? Because of last time?"

"I am... but Dennis told me that you didn't mean to hit me, that you did that because you were scared." 

So he persuaded Hedwig too, huh? You wondered whether he talked to the other personalities as well. 

"He also said" the boy continued "that you are Pure, so I'm going to forgive you. For now! I mean.. if you'll stay with us... And you won't abandon me..." His voice became weaker and weaker by the end of his sentences. Clearly, he only wanted to look cool, but deep inside he did want to forgive you. After all, he was just a lonely child and all he wanted was a friend who cared for him.

You started smiling softly, this whole situation just felt so heartwarming. "Of course. Don't worry, I'll be here for you."

"You're not lying, are you?" he said suspiciously.

"Nope!" you responded with a grin "You know, whether you believe me or not, you're my only friend."

For a minute, biting his lower lip, he was thinking about something then he passionately crossed his arms, speaking out loudly "Pinky Swear or never happened!!"

You couldn't help but started giggling at him "Alright, Alright!"

After your answer he looked at you, now smiling widely as he quickly reached out his pinky-toe towards you "Promise?"

Being touched by his ask, you happily accepted his propose by grabbing his little finger with yours.

 

"Promise."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> /Hey Guys! 
> 
> I decided to make this chapter again a kind of chill-chapter, just to get my stuff together. I planned so much for the future, hopefully I can make them as well! After all even if now everything seems just fine, we all know that there are still a lot of shiet working in the background Lolol
> 
> So just bear with me a bit more~/


	18. Chapter 18

Since it was still late afternoon, the two of you decided to spend some time together before your friend needed to leave. Obviously you couldn't do much here, because none of you wanted to bother Dr. Fletcher, so you started simply talking instead. Of course since you still were with a child, you had to face with the fact that he got bored pretty soon. So for bringing up his excitement again, you came up with the idea of playing some games. This escalated quickly and before you could notice it, the two of you were roleplaying as pirates, leading an imaginary boat while pretending to attack another ship in the ocean.

It was basically Hedwig's idea but you came around since it was no harm acting like a child again for a while and... well, you didn't want to admit but you felt being reassured now that the boy was nearby. Deep inside you desperately wanted to be with someone who you felt safe around. Because.. that hidden anxiety kept floating around you and it made you really uncomfortable. You really hoped this feeling will disappear eventually.

It might be looked weird from a stranger's sight that you and an adult man have been playing like little kids in a bedroom. Actually, before a week it would have made you embarrassed like hell, no.. you couldn't even imagine a situation like this. It would have never happened something like this with you. But now it almost felt... normal? Well of course not exactly, but it definitely didn't felt as weird as it should have had. You oddly quickly could get used to his presence, that he suffers from DID and now you can barely get surprised when suddenly someone else starts talking to you. It was such a short time, that it might have been you the one who was truly weird.

Hedwig was just about to attack an innocent merchant ship when suddenly he stopped and lump down to the bed. He started blinking confusedly while staring in front of him. You knew what was going to happen here, someone else was about to come.

"Oh, I'm sorry, but I have to go." He said weakly "Barry keeps asking me to let him into the Light. And it's late I'm not supposed to be out either." His voice was kind of monotonous, probably because these were those things that the others had always told him: not to do this and that. Just like other parents.

Sitting down to the bed, you smiled at him sympathetically. "It's okay, it was fun playing with you. See you later!"

"Yup!" He answered with a wide grin before he closed his eyes and relaxed to let one of the others come out. His expression softened as he deeply inhaled the used air of the bedroom. As soon as he opened his eyes and got to see you, a gentle smile appeared on his face. "Oh, it is you again!" His voice was familiar but you weren't sure who could it be, so just discreetly smiled back. He noticed your confusedness, so politely he reached out his hand towards you. "I haven't had the opinion for a proper introduction yet. My name is Barry, it is nice to meet you."

"The pleasure is mine, Barry" you shook his hand kindly "How comes that you're in the Light now?"

"Oh, that is.." after letting your hand he scratched his head with a giggle "I would have liked to talk to Dr.Fletcher about something."

"She's in the other room" you pointed towards the door. "And is most likely reading something."

"Alright, thank you!" He got up from the bed but a sudden realization hit him. With a sheepish smile, he turned back to you "By the way.."

"Yeah?" You were just about to get up from the bed as well, but this made you stop. You looked at him with high curiosity.

"Did I intervene something?"

Blush went through your whole face, heating it up as you got what he's just said. "Oh nonono!" You rose up your hands in protest. It was indeed weird in a stranger's eyesight that you played here with Hedwig "No it's just.. we were playing some roleplay and.. uhm" he frowned to your messed up explanation but then started giggling when he saw that you became more and more embarrassed because of the situation.

"It was just a joke don't worry" he waved grinning just to make you reassured. He surely enjoyed that reaction of yours. "Now I am sorry m'lady but I really need to talk with Dr. Fletcher. Now please excuse me." He said with a warm smile and after seeing your shy but accepting nod, the man went to the door and by stepping out of it, he left you in the room alone.

You touched your red cheeks, just to feel that they were still hot as hell from your previous embarrassment. With a deep sigh, you calmed yourself down, then decided to finally go out of the guest room and join with the others. As soon as you stepped out, you startled at the topic they were quietly talking about in the kitchen. Not every word was clear for you, but you could hear out Dennis' name, and that they were worried about some possibly upcoming plan of his. This made your stomach twist. They basically didn't seem to trust Dennis at all... You assumed because of what he had done to you, and you could understand their viewpoint, but.. just didn't want to accept. No, you were pretty sure that he had changed, at least with you.

You didn't want to get caught and seem like you were overhearing them on purpose, so with a deep breath, you forced on a calm smile and started walking towards them. They stopped talking as soon as they saw you, and both of them put up a smile on your sight.

"I'm sorry, I didn't want to intervene anything.." you started sheepishly "I-I would like to take a shower, so could you please lend me a towel?"

"Oh" the woman clapped "Sure thing, Sweetheart! But would you like to have dinner before that?"

"No, thank you" You shook your head discretely with a smile "I'm not really hungry."

"Well, alright then" she nodded giving back a smile to you "please don't forget your words Barry" she said calmly, then went out of the kitchen, leaving the two of you alone. Actually, since none of you brought up any topic, you were just standing next to each other in uncomfortable silence. You were pretty sure that you bothered them at the worst possible time, but it was what it was. Fortunately, the therapist came back pretty soon, so this awkward situation could be finally broken. She handed over a gray towel with a nightdress "You can use this towel and as I saw you didn't have anything to sleep in, so this is one of my older nightgowns for you."

"I-It really was unnecessary-" you stuttered shyly.

"It doesn't matter, I wouldn't use it anyway. So please, take it."

You looked at the stuff in his hands, then slowly took them "..Thank you" you answered quietly "Then I don't want to bother you two more." And turned towards the bathroom.

Now that you were alone again, you felt your heart started to be heavy again. Your thoughts were jumping through the caught conversation that Dr.Fletcher and Barry had recently. You wanted to forget it, you wanted to think about anything else.. but these thoughts appeared again and again. Maybe Barry not even doesn't trust Dennis but has issues with you too. Well, at least it seemed like it. And to be honest.. you could somehow understand it. Who the heck were you to him? A stranger.. a weird girl who decided to stay with the man who kidnapped her for a week. You couldn't be more for him than some kind of weirdo.

You hoped that taking a shower will let you relax a bit, but it seemed that this plan of yours has failed as well. You weren't sure why, but you felt almost... even uncomfortable. You were free, you didn't have to deal with your uncle's bullshit for a few days, had roof over your head.. then what? You should have been happy.. but no.. something was just not right. You missed something but didn't know exactly what.

It was a long and tiring day for you. Actually, the fact scared you that it wasn't even in 24 hours that you had to fight for your life. And now you prepared to go to sleep in a kind granny's house in safety. Everything happened so quickly, but well.. you couldn't complain about it. Thanks to Dennis, everything worked out just so nicely. You had to thank him later because of this. But first, you decided to go to bed and sleep finally.

Stepping out of the shower, you wiped yourself and your hair with the towel, then put up the clothes you got. It was not fashionable, but at least comfortable, and this was what you needed anyway. When you crossed the dining room after stepping out of the bathroom, you noticed that Barry was already gone now. Actually, you weren't sure how long it took you to get clean with washing your hair as well, but it seemed like that they could discuss their things in time. The woman was doing the dishes, but she quickly turned towards you as soon as she heard the door's opening.

"Oh, as I see you've finished. This nightgown actually looks pretty cute on you" you felt your cheeks becoming a bit warmer to her compliment. "Barry had to go as well, but he asked me to say goodbye and goodnight to you as well."

"Oh, that's really nice from him" You said in a sheepish voice. The old lady giggled to your answer.

"He was always a gentleman. Are you going to sleep now?"

"Yeah" you gave her a small nod "It was a long day today, and I'm really tired."

"Well, goodnight, then. I'm about to sleep soon as well." she said in a calm, soft tone.

You smiled at her warm "Goodnight" you answered, then headed to the guest room. After putting down your clothes on the back of the bed, you hopped onto it and stretched out. To be honest, until you didn't wrap up warm, you haven't felt yourself tired. But this feeling hit you in the minute you were in a comfortable position finally. So without really thinking about anything, you just wanted to leave all your thoughts and get some energy again.

After all, today was a really long day.

And you had even more tasks to do for the future.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> //*reads the fic* *sighes* whelp I wanted to put some real stuff in it as well but got distracted with unnecessary conversations and whining that I totally forgot them. WHELP THEN I'M SORRY, HERE'S ONE MORE SHITTY CHILL-CHAPTER. I mean... the time has surely slowed down now that things are not a survival horror anymore, but c'mon I can do better than that.
> 
> So yeah, I tried to follow my schedule but failed this time, but at least now I know how to have a great start on the next chapter~//


	19. Chapter 19

|| It was that time again, huh...

In the gloomy room, it was just the two of you there. You and your uncle. He was showing the same sick smile that he had always done at these times. You knew what was coming, and you knew that you could do nothing against it.

He asked you to take off your clothes.

You did so.

Another ask this time to come closer to him.

This has been done as well.

He welcomed you warmly, calling you into his deadly embrace. Just one more step and you'll get trapped in his hands forever. Not that you had a choice here. You've never had.

You fulfilled what he wanted.

His sweaty fingers were on your body and every single touch of his made goosebumps on your skin. You wanted to vomit every time, but you didn't do that.

You didn't dare to do that.

He was close... very close, behind you, his deep panting blew soft warm shivers to your neck and ears.

You hated this feeling.

You wanted to run, to escape. It didn't matter how. It didn't matter if you had to get by alone. Far, far away from him. It didn't matter if you had to starve, to freeze o or sleep in the rain. You would have done anything just to end this endless nightmare...

Anything... ||

With a huge gasp, you suddenly opened your eyes, panting loudly as you grabbed shakily the blanket around you. You felt suffocated like your lungs would have stopped working. After a heavy swallow, you slowly sat up and started staring blankly in front of you. Rising up your weak arms, you swept off the sweat away from your forehead. This nightmare made you become a sweaty, panting mess and you just the thought of it made your stomach twist. You were sick.. sick of trying to forget these things after every time your mind reminded you about them. Not to mention it made you physically and emotionally tired as well. You have been constantly having sleeping issues about him. In some ways he always appeared just to ruin your well sleeping, to make you terrified and disgusted. Why on the earth weren't you able to forget it? Was this that much to ask...? It was just too much.

You suffered enough, it was finally time to stop...

You used your arm to clear your eyes from the gathered tears and tried to calm down. There must have been something that could help you out. You knew that now you had to disturb the thoughts of yours because otherwise, you'll have a really hard time sleeping back. You knew it because this happened many times. You could say that you were already used to it, but that simply would have sounded ridiculous. You just wanted to this constant hell.

So after a deep sigh, you got out of the bed and headed straight towards the bathroom. Paying attention not to make any sounds, you rushed through the dining room. Everything around you was covered with a soft dull layer of the darkness that was constantly calling you into its warm embrace. You've never been scared of being alone in the dark. Actually, for you, it looked reassuring and protecting. You could hide there whenever you felt like the whole world was against you. It never hurt you but gave you a place where you felt safe instead...

..Gosh, your thoughts were babbling about ridiculous things again...

In the bathroom after turning up the lights, you walked slowly to the sink. Looking into the mirror, your fatigued expression looked back at you. You have always been tired, but have never actually deal with it. Why have you? Not that you wanted to amuse someone anyway... With some quick splashes, you cleaned your face then wiped it into your tower which you had left there after taking a shower. You knew this would kill your tiredness for a while, but this method seemed to be helpful according to your experiences.

You decided not to spend too much time in the bathroom nor the dining room since you didn't want to wake up Dr. Fletcher. So after rushing back silently to the guest room, you started thinking that what you should do in order to pass some time. Your thoughts moved towards the phone that you've just got back from Dennis, well Hedwig to be exact, but this didn't matter now. Actually, you wondered if whether it still worked or not.

Hopping back onto the bed, you grabbed the little gadget and tapped its button. It didn't work. Of course, it didn't work, you dummy, it wasn't even turned on. At least you thought so. So after pressing and holding its power button, you carefully paid attention every change it could make. Much to your surprise, with a short vibration it came back to life, and you actually had to nictate because of the sudden dazzling luminescence. After that, you confusedly noticed that the battery was on 68%. Dennis must have turned it off as soon as he took it from you. To be honest this step of him sounded pretty logical to you since this way nobody could call or somehow track down the location through it. You remembered that back then your uncle had bought you mobile internet, and some of it were still left.

With a shaky sigh, you turned it on and watched if there were any notifications to appear. After a few moments, your phone started juddering as many and many texts and emails hopped into its screen. It was full of spam but you noticed some from a weirdly familiar e-mail address. You could bet it was your uncles. Much to your surprise, some people searched you through Messenger as well. Seeing the flashing names you saw that they were your classmates. You were actually amazed how much you hadn't missed your phone at all. It has been your best partner since.. eternity, but now the use of it felt weird to you.

For a moment you wanted to open the chat-head after the hellish mess finished, but then you quickly stopped, reminding yourself: in others eyes, you WERE STILL missing. You can't just start using your usual accounts like nothing had happened. Everyone would think that you were just messing with everyone. Until your problems haven't solved, you had to keep hiding.

After clearing this "little" thing, you decided to check the texts instead. Nobody could find out if you read them anyway. After its main menu hopped out you saw that only one person sent you texts: uncle John. The thought of him made you sick, but you were curious about what could he send to you. With a shaky move, you opened the conversation with him. You gasped at the number of texts that appeared. You started reading them.

6th October 19:33  
Hey hun, where are you? You did take the bus that set off at 18:00 right..?

6th October 20:07

Dear, this is not funny... where are you?

6th October 21:44

I'm not joking, you know what happens when you piss me off! Come home, now!

6th October 23:02

So you want to play this kind of game?! Alright then

7th October 9:16

Hey girl

7th October 17:55

Just give me any sign...

8th October 10:07

anything...

This is where the messages finished. Your face turned to disgust as you could hear his voice in your head for real. Especially at the nicknames that he had given to you. You hated every single one of them.

Your respect towards that man could be seen in his name that you had chosen to be in your contacts "Mr.Asshole". Respect, care, love... He didn't deserve any of it. And you fulfilled these thoughts of yours well... Gosh, you shouldn't have seen these messages. You actually felt terrified. That what could happen if your uncle finds you... you didn't want to think of this possibility...

You put the phone back to the night table onto its original place and lied down with a deeply tired sigh. You were still not that tired that you should be but didn't want to continue reading those texts either. If not somehow else, you simply forced yourself to sleep. You just really wished this anxiety would finally leave you... somehow...

______________________________________

The bright ray of the sunshine that broke into your room made you wake up. You weakly rubbed your tired eyes while turning to the other direction. Your head hurt because of the lack of sleep you had, but.. not that you couldn't really do much with it. It was what it was after all... Grabbing your phone, you checked the time, not bothering yourself with the pile of unread messages that were still covering your screen. It was 8:21... you didn't really sleep until as late as you wished either. Because.. to be honest, you didn't do how to pass this lot of free time. You were alone here with Dr. Fletcher, who possibly had appointments for this day already, and you promised her not to bother her sessions anyway. Well, this was your later self's problems.

You got up from the bed and quickly changed your clothes back to normal. You didn't really want to spend your day in the woman's clothes, it felt just weird to you. Like you would live here permanently. And of course, that was not true.

Stepping out of the guest room, you found granny reading a book on the sofa while drinking some hot tea. Hearing the noise, she quickly lifted up her head to welcome you with a warm smile. 

"Good morning! How was your sleep?" Her voice caressed you like the warm wind. It actually lifted up your spirit as well. 

"Good morning! Thank you, it was fine." you lied to her with a fatigued smile. You didn't want to make her already worried at the first day.

"You look tired..." She said, looking back to the book. 

"It was just.." You started with a swallow "that I woke up at around 3 am and it was pretty hard to sleep back. But I did it" 

The old woman lifted his eyes towards you once again. She was thinking about something, you felt that. "In this case, would you like some coffee? I've made some, hoping that you'll like that."

"Oh" you answered with some confused blink "S-Sure, thank you."

Her expression softened as she took a bookmark to the row where she stopped, put down her book and started going into the kitchen. You decided to go with her "I didn't know how you like it, but here's everything you might need." She pointed towards the dining table, where the sweeteners were taking place. 

"Thank you" you repeated it, hoping that it didn't sound too emotionless because you were truly grateful for her. Taking some of the sweeteners, you used them to your coffee just to give it some nice flavor. Dr. Fletcher didn't move away her eyes from you, you didn't look at her, but felt her eyes scanning your body. She was examining you at the very moment. You felt nerves started pooling in your stomach but chose not to say anything instead.

"So.." she started in a gentle voice. You automatically looked at her from the coffee of yours. 

"Since yesterday, I've been thinking about some possible questions that I could ask you about. If you don't mind of course."

"I'm okay with it." You gave him a reassuring smile, though deep inside, you still had doubts.

"Alright, then.." she cleared her throat "You got captured by Dennis about a week ago, am I right?"

"Yes." You nodded

"Then in some ways, you could escape from him."

"Yes."

"Then please tell me, dear... Why did you stay with him? He recommended you my apartment as well right?"

You hesitated. Not because you wanted to hide the truth or something, it was more like that you didn't really know the reason either. "I-I don't know. I didn't have a place to go, and I thought..." Geez, this sounded so naively... "I felt like I couldn't really lose anything with it."

She frowned to your response "But you DO know that he could have taken you to some bandits as well?" her tone sounded way more serious this time.

You couldn't give her a proper answer this time. To be honest, no, you had never thought about this. Now that she's saying, you could have easily got trapped again because of your stupidity. "I don't know.. I just.. trusted him." you said shakily.

"Honey, what did he do to make you trust him? I mean.. I know that Kevin is definitely not a bad guy, but some of his personalities.. especially Dennis has some issues. You can never forget that he kidnapped you after all."

You shut your mouth again. After these questions, you felt really careless and childish. You made so many mistakes, that it's a marvel that you are alive. Huh.. great joke.

Since you weren't willing to give her any answers, she decided to change the subject. "Is it possible.." she started slowly, thinking hard about every word she was going to say "that maybe you have some kind of disorder or syndrome that you don't know about? Have you ever been to a therapist?"

You opened your mouth but couldn't answer at first. "I-I mean, I've never been to... But what do you mean by that?"

She sighed slowly to your response then set her glasses. "There is a syndrome... that's called Stockholm syndrome. Basically, you start to develop feelings for someone who took away your freedom."

Her words hit you like a train, you were looking at her shocked with opened mouth. The woman didn't move, her serious eyes kept looking straight into yours. She was definitely not joking. "N-No I-I'm pretty sure I don't have this!" You snapped at her in a shaky voice. Your self-defense system turned on immediately. "That's" you chuckled in desperation "That's just nonsense! I don't have Stockholm syndrome! I-I'm sorry, but I have to go now! Please don't bother me!" you stuttered while standing up, then quickly rushed into your room, leaving the undrunk coffee on the table.

In the room, now in complete silence, you collapsed onto the bed, curling up into a ball you embraced your knees shakily. Your anxiety hit you as soon as she started examining you deeply with her questions. You didn't know why you had done those things.. you really didn't know. And now it felt so bad, knowing that every choice of yours was a huge mistake. You knew that you were a fool during all the time, you knew that.

You just wanted to disappear once again.

_________________________________________

You heard a pair of a knock on the wood door of your guest room. How long have you been there? You must have felt asleep.. You checked the time on your phone, it showed 18:02. Geez.. You could bet that Dr. Fletcher has already wondered why did you disappear so quickly. Now you should get your ass out of this hole just to make her reassured.

As soon as you opened the door, though, you startled at the sudden sight of your friend. It was him, Dennis, standing there with his hands in pockets. He was looking at you, silently. The worry could be seen in his eyes. Your stomach twisted at his expression.

"Hey... How is that you're here?" You asked in a quiet voice.

He didn't give you first, but take his hands out and crossed them at his chest. "Is everything alright? I heard from Dr. Fletcher that you locked yourself in this room for a while."

You felt your nerves gathering up more in your guts. The way he was looking at you... it just made you so guilty. "Yeah... of course, why wouldn't be?" you forced up a smile just to make him reassured. Although it caused the opposite reaction to him.

"Can I come in?"

You hesitated for a minute but decided to let him "Yeah, sure" You widened the gap by opening the door a bit more, then stepped aside so he could come into the room.

"I heard" he started while looking around the dull atmosphere place "that you acted weird right after the conversation with Dr.Fletcher. Did she make you upset?"

You didn't answer just started staring at the dark floor. Just why did you feel so guilty? Not that it would have been your fault, right?

Seeing your reaction, the man sighed but gave you a reassuring smile right after it. "It's alright. Sometimes she has some inappropriate questions. It's not her purpose, though, to insult or hurt you or anything. I hope you understand."

"I know.. it's just..." you started but quietened your voice until it went completely silent.

"Do you want to talk about it?" Dennis asked hesitatingly.

You shook your head as a refuse. "No.. I mean.. not now. I need time for this." your voice sounded dying and a bit desperate. You felt so vulnerable and ridiculous at the same time. What happened to that side of you who could easily force back her emotions in order not to make anyone wanting to ask questions?

"It's alright. I can wait." He smiled at you softly that made a pleasant warm feeling pooling up in your stomach. "You look tired, though. Couldn't you sleep here?"

His worry gave you a funny feeling that you could really explain. But it felt nice, knowing, that he genuinely cared about your well-being. "Yeah... I-It made me a hard time... to be alone here."

Your partner didn't answer immediately but started thinking about something. You looked at him with growing curiosity. It was pretty sure he wanted to say something but wasn't sure if he should tell you that, or not. Finally while scratching nervously his neck, he made up his idea "If you need someone to make you reassured or.. something, we could chat in an app. I mean.. I can't guarantee if I'll be the one in the other side, but.." his nervousness made you smile. He looked actually pretty cute finding his words.

"I would love that actually," you answered, now giggling softly. "But not in Messenger, please. The.. others know me from that application, and if they get to know that I'm alright, they'll make a fuss about it. And I would like to wait with this."

"I can live with that." he answered, now also smiling at you gently.

The same warm feeling appeared again in your stomach. You felt for the first time in your life, that maybe.. maybe he could help you to get over your past.

.  
And this made you really happy.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> //Surprise surprise!~☆
> 
> I felt so bad for writing such small chapters recently that now I wanted to compensate it with a longer one~ Now you have everything in it: angst, fluff despreratethoughtsabouthowlifeisn'tgreat ... so yeah! ☆ Hope you like it!~☆
> 
> At least I could make up my messed up schedule as well lololol 
> 
> Btw I think the next chapter will be a bit late for the next time since I won't really have any time in the upcoming days. But please, stay tuned!~☆ //


	20. Chapter 20

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> //Just to clear some possibly upcoming questions, nope I've never used this app but seen like once 2 years ago, so... ye, please just accept it and its differences~☆ thank you!☆//

In order to fulfill your ask, the two of you decided to use Line for talking. You chose a random account name on purpose just to be sure none of your previous classmates or acquaintances will ever find you. Not that you needed them anyway.

Your only upcoming chat-friend, Dennis was following the process with his eyes in silence next to you, while making his own profile as well. He was just as new to this program as you, and according to him, the man was not keen on these social websites since he had a hard time making friends online. Sooner or later people found out his disease, and until now none of them were at least half of that understanding than you. Because, you know, people are afraid of things they don't know. And this is especially true of those on the internet. Having DID doesn't mean that Kevin and all his personalities were bad... whelp.. It's true that they kidnapped you once, but still, you knew that they were all nice in general. At least this is what you wanted to hope.

Finally, you managed to finish both of the profiles, and after connecting them, you started searching for the options for more information. Your eyes stopped at the sight of a little camera- and mobile-shaped icon. Your stomach twisted for some silly thoughts that came across your mind. With a bit of hesitation, you decided to click on it, just to see what it does. Both of you flinched at the sudden sound of phone ringing that came from Dennis mobile. A light screen appeared on his device with your profile showed in its middle. "We can call each other on this?!" You gasped then felt your face heathen up a bit for the sudden silly ideas.

"I-I think so.." he agreed quietly. You could hear some hidden excitement in his voice. In some ways, it did make you excited as well. You actually haven't really thought of asking his number, it would have probably sounded too cliché. And maybe.. it would have seemed like some hooking-up texts that you can always hear in movies.... not that you dared to ask something like this anyway.

"You can always tell me if I ever bother you with my messages." you said in a sheepish voice.

"Hey, it's alright. I'll be there, on the other side, maybe not me, but I'm sure any of us would like to get to know you. Just ask about who's in line when you write us, so you'll know who are you talking with."

"I will, thanks for the advice." You smiled at him and did the same in exchange. Some funny feeling started gathering up in your stomach, causing you a bit of nervousness. "I-I don't know if I will ever call you or not.."

"It depends on you." He might felt the sudden anxiety in your voice, so he tried to reassure you instead of just making more nervous. "But if you ever need someone, we're here."

First, you couldn't really answer. But the thing he said was truly reassuring actually. You could feel his genuine caring. And this warmed up your heart. "Thank you... j-just thank you for being here, Dennis," you said while giving him a thankful smile. Now it was his turn to go silent, he probably heard your tone changing into a more sincere one and this got his tongue. So instead of saying anything, he just smiled back at you softly.

Now that both of you stayed in silence a pleasant feeling settled down into the atmosphere. Actually, this was the time when you noticed how close he really was to you. He was sitting only in inches' distance next to you on the bed, looking at you from above. You never ever realized before how easily he could embrace you with those long arms of his, protect you from all the problems that the world. In your mind, you could feel his touch again, as his fingers caressed gently your body, just to make sure that everything is alright. And he was, to be honest, pretty handsome in his own style. You had to admit this.

You were into this man.

As he kept looking straight into your eyes, you felt a dull feeling slowly pooling in your stomach, making your breath becoming hard as it started squeezing softly your lungs. You swallowed heavily and carefully tried to lean closer to his face. Dennis, after seeing your approach, he slowly closed his eyes, and let himself lean forward as well. Your heart kept bumping painfully in your chest, not being able to wait what is going to happen in any seconds. You wanted this.

You wanted this so badly.

"I-It's getting late, I should probably go." he gasped and suddenly leaned back, leaving you with desperate desire. You were just so close. "I-I would just bother your dinner time with Dr. Fletcher." he coughed while setting nervously his glasses "Not to mention that I.. I-I have some things to do as well." you noticed his shaky voice as he clumsily tried to make up some most likely excuses. You should have, but you couldn't feel angry at him after seeing his badly hidden embarrassed face. He did look really cute.

Another shaky cough and he stood up from the bed heading towards the door. You saw him hesitating with a deep sigh, before turning back. "So.. you can write me anytime you want. I'll be there." He raised up the phone in his hand just to refer to your possibly upcoming talking.

"I will don't worry." you bit your lower lip with a soft giggle. "Take care of your way home."

He startled for a minute to your wish, but then swiping away all his clumsy emotion, he bowed at you discretely. "See you soon... young lady."

Then he left the room, closing the door behind him. And you stuck there in the dark with those dirty thoughts that kept haunting you. Looking down on the floor, you slowly lifted up your hands to touch your face. It felt like fire, and you assumed its color could prove that too. What the hell was you just about to doing?? You wanted to kiss him?! On your own?! No, it was not just you. A strange feeling kept pushing you forward. It felt like being enchanted with an affection you haven't experienced yet. It felt so strange, unknown, but... lovely. One deep part of you wished that your little action would have been successful. Not to mention, that he leaned towards you. He must have.. wanted to kiss you as well...right?

You didn't know anything anymore.

Stepping out of the room with a huge sigh, you wiped back your head and looked around. He was nowhere to be seen, so you guessed he left the apartment as soon as possible. The woman was sitting in front of the computer, probably messing with it. She lifted her eyes up towards you as she heard the opening of your door. Her lips curled into a soft smile as she set her glasses with her right hand. "There you are, Darling. Did you sleep well?"

"Sleep?" you frowned in confusion.

"I assume you could sleep during the day since your night was messy." She answered with a giggle.

Your eyes widened "Did you hear me last night?"

"You're not the one who has sleeping issues." you startled for a minute after hearing this "For me" she continued in a soft voice "I either can sleep without being able to wake me up or barely being able to fall asleep. Yesterday was the latter." she chuckled looking at your sheepish expression.

"Oh.."

"So I can't blame you for being so bitter with me in the morning and then isolate yourself from everyone. Tiredness can cause some behavior that we're not really proud of." With an easy move, she grabbed a cup from next to her and then carefully tasted it. "However, I still would like to apologize. The things I said might have been a bit too inappropriate. I didn't mean to upset you or anything."

"Oh it's alright!" you quickly lifted up your hands in protest, "I-I think I took everything a bit too personally. I shouldn't have lost my head so easily."

"I'm glad you're not angry at me then." she gave you a gentle smile "I still have some questions..." your stomach twisted to this sentence "but I'm going to wait with them. It is the life of a therapist, they are just burying them with tons of questions. We're just too curious kind" she giggled again and this time it made you smile too. "Anyway, you didn't eat anything during the whole day. You must be hungry. Come, I was just about to have dinner as well."

For a moment, you hesitated, but then with a small nod you accepted the request and decided to spend some time with the old lady.

______________________________________

Loudly gasping, you managed to drag yourself out of another horrible dream. Of course, your uncle could just fucking leave you alone. Of course... But well, you kept telling yourself that eventually, they'll end. They this meant that eventually, they SHOULD end... right? After all these years, to be honest, you were not sure anymore. Gosh, these night thoughts make you more pessimistic that you should be.

You were lying on your back, fingers grabbing shakily the blanket that made your whole body sweaty with its hot sense. Your eyes kept staring at the dark ceiling, as you tried to stabilize those heavy heart beatings that made you feel suffocated at your lungs. Slowly, warm tears started flowing down smoothly on your cheeks, landing on the pillow. You didn't flinch for its sense, at least you could quietly let out this tense feeling which was being kept inside.

After a deep sigh, you decided to check the time, so first, you wiped off the tears of your face, then reached for the phone. While turning it on, you rolled to your stomach and leaned on your arms. After checking the time -which was 2:12 am by the way- a silly thought popped up in your mind. With a nervous swallow, you unlocked the device and then opened the still-fresh app. Only one account appeared in the menu: Dennis's. It didn't show you whether he was online or not, but you decided to have a check. Touching its name, a new conversation window jumped up, with no previous conversation.

Biting your lower lip, you hesitated. What if he was sleeping at the moment? You didn't want to wake him up just for some random chat that suddenly came into your silly mind. But well.. if he was sleeping or just simply busy, he wouldn't answer anyway... it wouldn't make any harm just to try...

[Hey.. sorry for the late message... u up?] You typed shakily then waited for any kind of response. The message was sent, and it quickly got a tick, showing that it has actually been read. Your eyes widened to it. He WAS there.

[Hello, it's ok I'm still working.]

[Then it's Dennis, right?] You wrote it down with high curiosity.

[Bingo, young lady] A reassured smile came across on your face. Deep inside it made you calm now that you knew he was on the other side. You were just about to send an answer when another message has been sent [Is everything ok?] You swallowed to his ask. He felt it. He knew that something's wrong even from that distance between the two of you.

[Of course.. why wouldn't be?] Wouldn't it have been way easier just to tell him straight forward? This might have been just some reflexes you got used to in the past.

[You know, you wrote in the middle of the night, with some random ask... even I can guess. heh]

You couldn't help but giggle quietly. He was right. Why on earth would you have written to him if not for some reassuring words? It seemed like he could get to know you even during this really short time. Maybe in some ways, this should have made you a bit scared, but you felt a warm, pleasant feeling instead. [Alright you got me haha. I've just had a bad dream so I thought I would put off my thoughts for a bit.]

[...Do you want to talk about it?]

You stopped for a minute and bit your lower lip. Maybe you should just tell him... Maybe he could help you... You shook your head. It was not the right time. Eventually, you had to tell him, but you were sure you would do it in person. Not through some random impersonal social application. [Nah, I'm fine. I'm used to them, this happens quite regularly anyway.]

Another break, but now it was from his side. Lying on your side, you kept watching the bright screen waiting for his answer. Some moments later a new chat bubble appeared [So you want to put off your thoughts? Then we can talk on the phone if that helps.]

For a moment, you froze to his offer. A blush came across your cheeks as the possibility appeared in front of you. But then you started thinking... deep inside, you didn't want to miss this opportunity. So with a shaky move, you touched the green icon and then slowly raised up the device to your ear "H-Hey." you said to the voice in a shy voice.

[It's really working, I'm surprised] you heard the honestly surprised voice from the microphone.

"Me too." you smiled softly then quickly thought about a possible topic you could talk about "So what did you mean by working? What are you doing?"

[It's...] he started but you could hear that he was thinking about something [Let's just say it's a surprise.]

"What?!" You laughed at him "But will you ever tell me? Oh wait can I guess it?"

[You won't guess it out anyway, Sweetheart.] the sudden nickname made you blush lightly, but it pooled up a pleasant feeling in your stomach.

"At least let me try" you grinned tiredly "please~"

A loud sigh came from the other side before his response "Alright, guess."

And you guessed.

And guessed again and again. According to his answer, you were just more and more far away from the right answer. You didn't mind it, though. Your purpose was not to win. You won enough just by spending this time with him. Your voice became more and more gentle and quieter by every question. Actually, his voice could make you feel sleepy, and this is what you really needed now.

[Are you thinking that much? Or...] he quietened and just kept listening. You fell asleep, leaving accidentally the phone on. [She's asleep..] then another small pause came in. Now if you had heard him, you could have noticed that his tone became soft and careful like he would have chosen every one of his words with high care. [During the afternoon.. you wanted to kiss me right? I wish I wouldn't have stopped it... I like you. More than I want it to admit to myself. You are truly special.]

Another short break happened before his cracked voice could be heard through the microphone for the last time.

.

[Goodnight, Princess]

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> //Hey Guys!~☆
> 
> Sorry for the much longer break than I expected, I had an inspiration block, so... yeah.. I'm sorry. But I'm here, back with these silly lovebirds!~☆
> 
> Also, sorry for this weird timing, I didn't want to make you wait more!~ ((I still feel super guilty for not posting sooner))
> 
> ALSO *checks dem views* 40K?¿? I'm startled, your support is amazing I LOVE YOU//


	21. Chapter 21

Slowly, you opened your eyes with a great inhale. The ray of the sunshine that was breaking through the light curtains made you wake up. The gauzy materials were dancing gracefully in front of the window since it was slightly open. Oh yeah, now you remembered opening it just to let your thoughts fly away as you had been leaning out and staring the distance before you went to sleep. Flashbacks appeared into your mind from yesterday, as the two of you kept looking at each other approaching slowly with great affection. If you had leaned forward just a bit more... Your brain reminded you to your previous kisses. They were hot and wild.. you told yourself that you didn't like them. But you knew that it was a lie. You did, oh girl, you did love them so much.

With moving your palm towards your face, you made sure that yep, blush rushed across your hot cheeks again. Gosh, just the think of him made you feel so vulnerable. You wondered what could Dennis think about you though. Because once he looks like he could kiss you and pin you to the wall just to enjoy having control over you.. then other times it's more like he's.. struggling.. with something. Probably with his own emotions? You didn't know... and maybe you shouldn't even guess it. The result might have been disillusive. What if he didn't like you back in the way you liked him..? You didn't want to think about this possible outcome.

Turning on your side, you noticed the little useful device lying on the sheets not so far from you. The little gears in your mind started working as you remembered back what had happened last night. Yeah, you had been talking to Dennis before you'd fallen asleep... You wondered whether he messaged you after the conversation. With a light movement, you unlocked the phone and opened the chatroom. In a bright chatbubble, you could see the notification of the end of your call. You noticed surprisedly the length of it because actually the two of you had been talking for almost an hour. It definitely didn't feel that long.. at least to you. Maybe he could get bored with you during your maybe too-long-chatting, but you guessed that he would have simply asked you to finish it. This, to be honest, made you quite happy deep inside. To know that you're actually interesting enough to him.

Looking just below it, your lips curled into a soft smile as you noticed a certain message. It was brief and simple, but still... it made your heart race.

[Sweet Dreams, m'lady.]

This could be read in his chatbubble. And you just kept looking at it, grinning like a little child who has just got a present. Because, to be totally fair, this short message of his right here made you happier that any presents that you had gotten... Isn't it fascinating how even the tinier things can change when feelings have been added to them?

After a bit of hesitation, you decided to write to him, because.. you know maybe it was your lucky day, and so Dennis could answer again. Hey, you could never know. So you started typing on the little device: [Good morning! Sorry for last night, I've fallen asleep. But hey, thanks for helping me anyway haha] And then you kept waiting. Well, since you didn't know whether your partner (actually doesn't matter who exactly, just.. any of us) was free or busy, you decided not to wait for the eternity and make yourself helpful, so you got out of the bed and quickly got dressed. You set the phone's volume up, just in case. You didn't want to miss the opportunity to talk with your friend.

Huh.. Every time you thought about this word, the same warm feeling pooled up in your stomach. As hilariously as it sounded, your first true friend was Hedwig. You had been antisocial through your whole childhood, trying to avoid people as much as possible, but then.. after getting kidnapped, someone actually called you as a friend with honesty in their voice. You haven't thought of him the same, obviously, the only thing that kept floating in front of your eyes was to escape from that hell. Even though you could only run into another hell, to your reality. Still, you managed to trick an innocent child with the view to getting out of that place. You could be really proud of yourself... Just why did these negative thoughts have to appear as soon as you started becoming happier..?

Shaking your head intensely, you brushed off all of the anxiety that suddenly embraced you. Grabbing the phone, you decided to go out and greet Dr. Fletcher. You'd been a bit too antisocial recently, that she might have started worrying about you. And, of course, you didn't want this. Stepping out of your little personal cave, you noticed the woman sitting in an armchair, reading a book in the living room. Since you saw her reading almost all the time, you guess it was her hobby. Well, everyone must have one. You too... what was your hobby though? Probably messing with that shitty phone of yours all the time.

"Good Morning Dr. Fletcher!" you said after approaching her.

She lifted her eyes up from the book, then after seeing you, her expression lightened. "Good morning dear, did you have a nice sleep?"

"Well, not the best, but it was definitely better than the previous one." you shrugged with a small smile while carefully sat down onto another armchair on the opposite side of the old lady.

"Well, at least it's getting somewhere." she softly giggled then closed her book after putting a bookmark in it so that she could pay attention to you fully. "Do you want something for breakfast?"

"No thank you, I'm not really hungry." you refused her with a kind gesture. She shook her head worriedly as a respond.

"Don't skip your meals too ofter, dear.. it doesn't do good to your health."

"Don't worry about me," you said, still smiling sheepishly. "I've never had a great appetite." And actually, you didn't lie a single bit. Even just the existence of your uncle made you want to vomit, especially later on, so you willingly skipped every kind of 'family time' you had to spend with him.

"I see.." the woman looked at the book she was still holding. Her gentle smile faded a bit, but you couldn't really guess why. Maybe she could hear that quiet bitter tone in your voice. "Out there, someone cares about you so much. I'm pretty sure you know that too."

At first, you startled about what she said, but then with a heavy-hearted smile on your face, you looked down onto the wooden floor. "Yeah" you whispered it thoughtfully. You were just about to say something when a sharp tinkling sound made you jump on the furniture. Quickly moving to your eyes to its source, you noticed that your mobile made this noise. Oh, actually it was the notification from Line that you loudened on purpose. The curiosity kept gathering up inside, wondering who could write you. Deeply, you really hope it was Dennis though. You just wanted to keep talking with him...

With a light movement, you unlocked the phone. The old woman noticed this as well, and she looked at you confusedly. "I thought you wanted to isolate yourself from the people. But do you actually talk with some of them, as I see?" A bit of abashment could be heard from her voice.

"Oh!" you exclaimed then started chuckling in embarrassment "Nonono, it's just... It's just Dennis. We're started talking online since yesterday." you lifted up the phone as a proof.

"Ah, I'm sorry for suspecting you for nothing." but then she gave you a small giggle "Then I assume he was the one you were talking with, last night."

Your face suddenly heated up to her question "How do you know that?"

"The walls are thin my dear." she kept giggling. "And I told you I have sleeping issues some days. But it's okay, I'm glad you have at least someone who you can rely on during your hard times."

"Me too, me too." your lips curled into a smile as you repeated your agreement with the woman.

After a bit of silence, the therapist was the one who broke it "I can see that you would prefer talking with Dennis to talking with me. Which is perfectly fine by the way. So just go, I won't be mad for choosing them." She giggled softly.

You didn't really know how to respond first but then you gave her a small grateful nod "Thank you." And you were just about to stand up when she stopped you once again.

"Oh, just one more thing."

"Yeah?" You turned your head towards her with high curiosity.

"Today I'm having 3 clients in the afternoon. One at 1 pm the next at 2:30 pm and the last at 4 pm. You can go out or stay in your room, just please don't intervene the course." She explained in a gentle voice.

"Alright" you gave her a reassuring smile, then suddenly something occurred into your mind "By the way, why haven't you had clients yesterday?"

For a minute she looked at you surprisedly, but then started chuckling gently. "Since it was Sunday dear, and that's my rest day, shall I say."

"Oh.. oh" you made the realization quietly "Yeah, this makes sense" you giggled embarrassedly, trying to figure out why did you ask such a dumb question. But well, at least now you knew what day was today. Not that you could have checked it on the phone, but it didn't matter now. "Well, then I'm just going to stay in the room until your clients will be gone."

"Are you sure you don't want to go out?" She asked changing her tone into a more serious one.

"Yeah, it's fine. I don't really want to bump into any inappropriate people."

She didn't respond at first, but then just gave you a reassuring "Alright then" and she let you go into your room finally.

 

Leaving her behind, you closed the door and then excitedly hopped onto the bed. Your heart started racing as you unlocked your device, still not knowing who answered to you. Touching the conversation, you opened it, and quickly read it what you'd got as a response.

[Hey, good morning Sweetheart,] again, this nickname made your stomach twist for a moment [Ooh, as I see you and Dennis are getting real close am I right?] You frowned in confusion. This couldn't be Dennis then.

[Who am I talking to?] you typed in carefully, then kept staring the screen, waiting for the answer. Fortunately, you didn't have to wait much since another chatbubble popped in from your partner.

[I'm Patricia, you silly.] you knew it, of course, you didn't have such luck to talk with Dennis all day. You guessed that it was time to get finally used to it. [So you two were talking all night? So romantic I can say~] You didn't know whether she was ironic or honest. Well, at least you could ask her some questions that interested you.

[Yeah, I had a nightmare, so it was nice to talk out the stress and just distract my attention.] then you bit your inner lip, thinking. You weren't sure if Dennis was just messing with you about what he was doing last night, but the curiosity was still left in your guts. [By the way... Do you know what Dennis is doing in his free time? I mean he was working on something last night too..]

[Don't you know the phrase: 'Curiosity killed the cat'? haha My lips are sewed.] You made a thoughtful grimace to her message. Of course, it wasn't that easy. But you wondered what are they hiding so keenly. You wanted to type again, but another bubble popped up from her [Oh but it will be big, I can say. You'll be amazed! Just wait for it darling~]

This message of hers somehow made you worried though. Probably because the things she had done to you were always terrible. You wanted to hope that she changed like Dennis... You really did. [If you say so...]

[What, did I took your interest?] you read her new chatbubble [Hmm? Nah, no way, you were always nosy, and you'll always be. This usually irritates me, but you're Pure, and I like that. If you want to be with Dennis, I ain't the one who will intervene into your relationship, I just want to let you know that.]

You hesitated for a moment not really knowing what to answer. [Thanks, Patricia, I think.]

[Always, darling. I have to go now, have to give the others the light they desire.]

[Alright, talk to you later] you typed and already wanted to put your phone away when another tinkling noise indicated you about another message.

[Oh and one more thing...] you frowned to this, before giving her a response.

[Yeah?]

[Just keep waiting, and the prince will come to you on his own. haha] another frown, wondering why she had written something like that.

[What do you mean?]

[Just saying, that I know more things that you do, Sweetheart. Talk to you later.]

She didn't send you more messages, so you were just left with complete confusion. You were really curious about what she meant. Did she mean Dennis? Probably. What could she know? Damn, curiosity really messed you up this time. But of course, you couldn't do anything but wait. As always.

Since none of them were likely to leave you some words anytime soon, you decided to take a nap, because.. well because you basically couldn't do anything here. And Dr. Fletcher asked you no to interrupt any of her sessions. Though you could at least read something. She had a lot of book lying in order on her bookshelves in the living room. She surely wouldn't have minded if you had borrowed one of them.

So you did so. And choosing a random story, a thriller of some sort, you got back into your little cozy hole and started reading.

______________________________________

You flinched to a sharp bell that rang at the front door. Lifting up your head tiredly, you noticed the recently read book leaving open next to you on the bed. It seems like you had fallen asleep during the reading... Brushing your hair loosely with your fingers, you reached for the phone to check the time. Suddenly you remembered back to the last part of your conversation with Patricia, and started wondering again, who what could she mean... Or at least, when this 'prince', as she had written, should come? You guessed that you haven't got any hint for this, so you should just stop thinking about this anyway...

You got surprised after checking the time though. It showed 18:24... then this meant every client of the therapist should have been gone by now. With some quiet steps, you approached the door and grabbed its handle. You carefully opened it slightly, just to peek through the gap. Though as soon as you stick out your nose behind the door, you froze as you almost bump it into someone familiar. It was him, Dennis again, with lifted up arms just about to knock on your door. He was just as surprised as you, but then a smirk came across his lips.

"Good morning Sleeping Beauty." he greeted you with the smirk still not disappearing from his face.

"M-Morning." you stuttered, still frozen, but then looked away after being hit by the realization "Wait a minute it's not even morning!" You exclaimed lifting back your eyes at him in confusion.

"I thought you would wonder more about the nickname, but you know best." He chuckled softly. 

For a moment you couldn't answer to him, so just with a great sigh you set scratched the back of your head. "How's that you're here?" You smiled at him now calmly.

"Well," he leaned against the doorframe with a grin. "Actually, Dr. Fletcher invited me for dinner. And who would I be to refuse such an opportunity."

You swallowed hearing the woman's name. Of course, she was the one who invited him here. She saw how the two of you were getting close, and maybe... maybe for both of your sakes she wanted to create some possibility to get to know each other more. But well you could never be sure.

Either way, you were quite grateful for her.

Maybe you'll thank her later.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> //Hey Guys!~
> 
> First of all!! I changed the cover of the story thanks to @sageisapotato and their mad skillz! I love u peep, you are amazing! (justlookatthiscoveritssonice)
> 
> *nervous cough*
> 
> SO! Another chapter is done~ Again, I made my draft for this so unnecessarily since I actually didn't follow the story I planned :'D But well, at least there will be some kick-ass parts in the next one~ (lol hopefully)
> 
> Actually, I haven't really got anything to say now, everything would be a spoiler lol. So.. yeah, here's another chill-chapter or some kind, but don't worry we're getting there what you all really want haha ;)
> 
> Stay tuned!~ I love you all! And thank you for every kind of messages! Every one of them makes my day!! You're the best!! <3 //


	22. Chapter 22

The three of you has settled down to the dining table. Dr. Fletcher had prepared some kind of roasted chicken with rice, which didn't seem to be so complicated but it looked pretty nice on the plate. Not to mention of its fairly great taste after taking one bite. She definitely had some skills in the kitchen. Well.. you guessed that this happens when you live alone for a long time. 

"It looks great Dr. Fletcher and I bet its taste as delicious as its look as well." Your friend said with a charming smile on his face.

"Yeah, it looks really nice! Thank you for making it." you joined putting up a smile too.

She giggled softly at your reaction "Oh you two! You're both so sweet, you'll make me blush!" the therapist joked, then grabbed the fork and knife to start her meal. The two of you grabbed your cutlery as well to join. "By the way Dennis.." she started while cutting up the chicken on her plate. "I was wondering about something."

He looked up from his portion and settled his glasses. "Yes? Is something bothering you?" You were just munching silently and kept listening to the others' conversation. 

"It's nothing like that. I'm more like curious. If mostly you're the one who is using the Light, then what are you doing for a living?" then she turned her eyes towards you for an explanation. "Barry was the one who earned money by selling his arts as a dress designer. Well.. I mean after the incident." 

"Incident?" you asked sheepishly with a frown.

The man sighed "We have been working for the local zoo for a while when we got fired. It was not our fault, two girls played a prank with us and after that everyone thought that we molested them. Of course, our boss didn't appreciate this... 'incident' since it made a bad reputation for the building." 

"But are you sure you were totally innocent?" the therapist lowered her tone into a more serious one.

"Barry was the one who was in the light at that time." his tone darkened as well as you could his eyes narrowing. "And you know that too. The others banned me and Patricia from the Light, we couldn't use that at all."

"I know Dennis. But if we want to be really precise, you wasn't supposed to use the Light when you kidnapped her either." she looked towards your direction, making your stomach twist. Well, she was right. Your eyes moved to the man, who has just cleared his throat.

"I'll leave it to you whether you want to believe me or not. I hope those Impures are happy. I bet they don't even know what they'd caused by that little joke. They should have got punished for what they'd done!" he snapped frustratedly. His raised up voice made you flinch on your seat.

"Hey.." you looked at him, putting your hand carefully onto his arm. You noticed him jumping a bit to your touch, then quickly looking at you. In his eyes, you could see something else too besides that frustration he was showing. Maybe.. despair? Or revengefullness? It made you a bit worried, to be honest. Although, his expression changed as your eyes met, like your sight made him calm down a bit.

"I'm fine, it's the past anyway." he sighed, leaning back to the chair so as to break your connection. You pulled back your arm after that. "So turning back to the original topic, I'm.. We're currently still searching for a proper workplace. But of course, as a DID person, the future doesn't really bright to us yet." 

"I see..." sighed the woman "I'll try to ask around and see if someone can help you." she smiled at him as a reassurance.

"Thank you, Dr.Fletcher, every kind of help is appreciated." He smiled back, now hearing clearly the calmness in his voice. 

You were happy that at least the tension disappeared from the air. You were worrying that Dennis might have lost his head, but Dr.Fletcher was at least that guilty in this whole situation than your friend. You started thinking though, now that everything calmed down, about what he could have been doing in the middle of the night the other day. He had said he was working but.. it sounded somehow weird to you. Especially after talking with Patricia. She was pretty hyped about that thing, and for you, this couldn't mean great things. Maybe you were just paranoid... You wished you were.

You flinched when you heard Dennis's cutlery tinkle as he carefully put it down to the plate into a perfect position. As you turned your head towards him, he was sweeping his mouth elegantly with the handkerchief from the table, then do the same with his hands with another one. This time it was his one, an orange one which he took off from the chest pocket of his shirt. You cautiously paid attention to him, every one of his movements was just so precise and elegant. This somehow could create a dignifying and intimidating aura around him, but not for you. You weren't afraid of him anymore.

"I'm sorry, but I have to go. Though I would like to stay, but I have some work to do. Still, I have to say, the meal was fantastic. Thank you for the invitation, Dr. Fletcher." He bowed with a pleasant smile which made the therapist start giggling cheerfully.

"Oh, Dennis you flatter me!" She waved her hand as a playful refuse. "Although, before you go, could you tell me some information about this.. "work" you really need to do? I'm really open to anything, you know" to her ask, you silently turned your head back to your partner in order to see his reaction. This question actually really interested you too, so you were kind of grateful to her for bringing up this topic.

Your friend chuckled softly with a quick bite on his lip, before looking back to the old woman. "I would love to talk about that, but now I really have to go. It's really unfortunate, I know." He stood up with a wide fake-ish smile on his face "Don't forget your word though, Dr. Fletcher!"

"Oh don't worry Dennis, I will not," she said maybe too calmly and gave an innocent smile to the man. It was almost unseen but you could see his expression changing into a bit darker one just for a moment. Then immediately it came back to its previous state. This caused pooling up a bit of worry in your stomach, but you quickly swallowed it, saying it must have been just some hallucinations.

Your friend turned towards the front door to put up his clothes. You wanted to talk with him before his leaving but didn't want to leave all the washing up to Dr.Fletcher... she has done so much for you already, it would have been just rude if you had done so. At least in your opinion. In contrast, the woman looked at you with a soft smile, like she could have read your mind and just whispered with a wink "I can clean the mess alone. Just go and say goodbye to him."

A pale blush appeared on your cheeks, but you didn't refuse her offer. Why would you? Of course, you wanted to talk with Dennis instead. So with a thankful nod, you stood up from the dining table and went to the man who has just finished putting up his shoes. "Hey" you approached him maybe a bit too shyly "I hope you are not upset because of Dr.Fletcher. She can be sometimes a bit too curious and ask so inappropriate things. But I'm sure she doesn't mean to do that."

For a moment he looked at you, frowning, but then his serious expression broke into a quiet chuckle "I'm pretty sure I heard this text from someone else."

"S-shut up!" You started laughing, feeling the blush again on your cheeks. "I'm just trying to reassure you this is what I get in exchange!" You pretended to be insulted but you had to admit that now your acting skills were just as great as your partners.

"Alright alright, M'lady!" She raised up both of his arms as a sign of giving up, still having a grin on his face. "Actually" he started, now in a much softer voice, "I can imagine that here in this apartment, life can be a pretty boring. So I was thinking about.." he started scratching the back of his head "what would be your reaction if I took you out to somewhere?"   
"Taking me out to somewhere?" You repeated his words like a robot in surprise. You didn't think about this sudden twist.

To your question, he nervously set his glasses "I don't know what kind of place do you prefer. I mean... I was thinking that we could go to a restaurant or something like that.." even if he tried to stay cool and firm, you could hear in his voice the insecurity. He was probably afraid of your answer.

"You mean.. like a date?" You swallowed nervously. You felt your throat like a dry water well as your words left your mouth.

"We can look at it like that. Only if you would like that too, though.."

"I-I'd love that, actually." You stuttered sheepishly as you felt your ears being on fire. Your face couldn't be that different either.

You weren't sure whether your reaction or your answer made him be like this, but his lips curled into a reassured smile as he kept looking straight into your eyes. "Alright then. Is 7 o'clock ok for you? I'll book the tables for some fancy restaurant."

"It's.. perfect for me." You grinned at him feeling butterflies in your stomach. Then pushing yourself forward with a silly thought, you stood on your tip-toes, reached for his shoulders, you leaned towards him, giving a soft kiss onto his cheek. After that, you whispered a 'thank you' into his ear in a gentle voice. You could feel him leave a shaky sigh as your lips touched his skin, giving hot trace on it. Leaning back to your original position after letting him go, you noticed a slight blush appearing on his cheeks as he kept staring at you frozenly. He looked really sweet like that, and to be honest, this made you incredibly happy.

At this moment, nobody could have swept that wide grin away of your face.

"So" he cleared his throat like he just regained his consciousness "I'll.. I'll come here at 7 o'clock." He parted his lips like he wanted to say something but just could find the right words. Instead, he gave you a clumsy nod "Then see you later."

"Alright." You giggled at him with a small nod. "See you later, Dennis."

Setting his glasses, he bowed to you hesitantly then turned towards the door. The key clicked and he pushed down the handle so as to open it. You just kept watching him as he stepped out of it, still grinning like an idiot until he turned back so your eyes met for the last time. Seeing your grin he first gave you a surprised expression, but it quickly transformed into a warm caring smile that could make you feel weak.

After the door was locked again, you leaned against the wall with a great sigh. Now that he left, the adrenaline disappeared from inside as well. You could feel the hotness of you cheeks even without touching it, not to mention your heart rate that kept pumping in your chest painfully. It made you slightly suffocated, but you actually didn't mind it at all. You didn't want this pleasant feeling to leave you.

You were amused about your own boldness too. You've never dared to do anything like this before, to be playfully risky with anyone. You thought that you'd never feel something like this. It felt alien to you, but... you wanted to get to know this feeling better.

After some deep sighs, you finally calmed down and decided to go back to the woman in order to help her clean the mess that the three of you had made. She was currently doing the dishes while humming some quiet tunes. You didn't recognize the song so you just let her sing as she wanted. "Can I help you with something?"

The woman turned her head towards you for a moment as she heard your voice. But then she just shook her head kindly as a refuse "Thank you dear, but I can do this alone. You should start thinking about something else anyway... shouldn't you?" She giggled softly as she put another plate into the sink.

You frowned at her with confused eyes. "What do you mean?"

"A dress for the date silly. Just because I'm old, it doesn't mean I'm deaf as well." Her voice was playful and cheerful as she winked at you. Sudden blush went across your cheeks to her idea.

"B-But you know that I don't have anything else besides these..." You grabbed sheepishly that flannel shirt of yours as a proof. 

She turned off the tap and turned came closer to you with a towel in her hands. "I can help with that. My granddaughter had left some of his clothes here from the time she and her mom had been staying here. I would bet I saw some dresses the other day as well."

"It's really nice of you, but I'm not sure-"

"But I'm sure they would fit you so well. Come on darling, at least give it a try." Taking the towel down near the sink, she put her hands together with asking eyes. 

You crossed your arm and sighed "Alright, alright. Where are them?" you hated that basically 'no' was lacking in your vocabulary. Deep inside though you were curious if about those dresses. You wanted to look pretty in front of Dennis.

She giggled to your answer then clapped in excitement. "That's the right attitude! They are in my room. Give me a minute, I'll show them."

______________________________________

The therapist made you try on at least 6 different dresses. Red, rose, green, yellow. They were not really.. your type, let's just say that. Maybe too girlish, or too bold, but they didn't earn your vote. Well.. except one of them. There was a pitch black, not too tight-fitting, made by fine material, probably from silk. It was reassuring to hear from Dr. Fletcher that the dress actually suited you well. For once, you felt lightsome and pretty too.

"He will love it I'm sure." the woman put her hands together with a grin.

"Do you think so?" you turned around, still looking into the mirror. 

"You look fascinating, dear! If he hasn't fallen for you already, he would definitely do that after seeing you like this." she giggled cheerfully.

You just kept looking into your fake-self now with a happy curl on your lips. Her opinion made a warm feeling pooling up in your chest. You really hoped that she was right...

After this little 'fashion-show', you decided to take a shower and go to bed early. To be honest, the nervousness and excitement mixed up in your stomach with constant changing. You could wait for tomorrow. 

Finally, there was something in your life that you couldn't be waiting for. 

______________________________________

After a not too smooth, worry full long night, the morning has come again. The hollows came and went, and you didn't want to cling to your friend again. So instead of writing to him, you decided to keep your thoughts for yourself this time. The last time you'd said goodbye to yourself was too pleasant, you didn't want to ruin this warm atmosphere by your unnecessary whining. So you just followed the same method that you'd done every single time before. Now you could notice, that it wasn't actually as efficient as you thought they would be. Talking with someone close turned out to be a better way to chase away these negative thought and memories. 

Although, you could say that you were tired, as weird as it sounded. The adrenaline pooled up inside you, making your nerves twist your stomach every time you thought about your upcoming date. To be honest, you never had a date before... Isolating yourself from people in general, didn't really help you to change this fact either. You remembered that there was a dude in like 3 years before who had been falling for you and wanted to take you for a date, but you refused him without hesitation. You didn't want to trust in people back then. But this changed.

You wanted to learn how to trust again.

The whole day rushed away pretty fast, and you appreciated that. Every one of your thoughts was about your date with Dennis. Especially thanks to Dr.Fletcher's hype. She was really helpful all day, preparing your nails and hair, not to mention your makeup. She had two clients today as well, but after them, she gave her whole afternoon just to make you perfect. She seemed actually pretty happy when you let her do all these stuff because her motherly nature could finally come up again. You didn't mind since you couldn't experience this feeling in your childhood anyway. And to be honest, this somehow made your chest hurt, to know what you could have got, but you haven't. Your mother didn't want to be the part of your life, and maybe it's the best for both of you. You had been angry at her a lot of times, but now everything just felt dull. You didn't even care anymore. 

Sweeping away these negative thoughts, you dragged yourself back to reality as the old woman has just finished your preparation. "Oh my gosh, you look beautiful!" she clapped excitedly as she examined your appearance with a wide grin. "You look as you could seduce every man on this Earth!"

"You must be joking" laughing, you felt as a blush came across your cheeks "But it's all thanks to you, thank you so much." you stuttered sheepishly then gave her a warm smile in exchange. 

"It was fun, helping you. I didn't feel this for a while. You know, you resemble to my granddaughter in some ways." she giggled softly "She's now an adult and comes here rarely, and I missed this feeling. I can never grow out of being a mother" She shrugged innocently still having a smile on her lips.

You were thinking about telling her about your mother but then decided to keep that information for a bit more. You didn't want to ruin this warm atmosphere either. The sudden tinkling of the door bell made you jump in your place. Was it that time already?! Your nerves gathered up in your stomach in a minute, making you shake in fear and excitement. The therapist, seeing your reaction, started chuckling then put a hand on your shoulder as a reassurance. 

"Come on, open the door. Don't make him wait too much for you."

"Y-Yeah" You swallowed heavily then slowly approached the door. What the hell has gotten into you so suddenly? Your heart was racing painfully in your chest making your breathing hard. You were actually not sure if you wanted to see him or just run away. Not that you had any choice right? No.. It was your time now. Where was that bold side of yours that said goodbye to him yesterday? Come on girl don't be like that!

Grabbing the handle shakily, you let out a deep sigh and opened the door. He was there, Dennis in a gray costume with a bouquet of white roses in his hand. To your sight, you could see him startle but then his lips curled into a gentle smile "Good evening, young lady. You look.. marvelous." he said in an enchanted voice while moving his eyes at you from head to toe. "I hope you like white roses. Please take them as a sign of my admiration."

"These are beautiful" you answered shyly, accepting them as he handed the bouquet to you. 

"But not as beautiful as you are." 

You lifted up your head to his statement, feeling the blush quickly appearing on your skin. "T-thank you.." you stuttered quietly, not really knowing how to react to him. You were just so nervous. But still, you loved this feeling and wanted more about it. 

"So are you ready for the date M'lady?" he reached out his hand, still not leaving that pleased smile on his face. With a shaky nod, you gave him a soft smile too as you grabbed his hand.

.

"Yeah, let's go."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> //*sits up from the trash hill she had been lying pleasedly* 50K????? When? H o w? Thank you omg!! I don't know, this number somehow feels stronger than the others. Either way, you're amazing holy hell!!
> 
> SO! This chapter was an emotional rollercoaster, for me at least lololol I don't know about you, but I hope you enjoyed it!~ Seeing the last time we had some fluffy scenes with Dennis, it was a blast to you, and I hope this one could make you feel similar too~
> 
> Oh about this date *grabs all the drafts she had made* it'll be fun lololol Can't wait for that~
> 
> Thank you for sticking with me though! You are all amazing people! I love you! <3 //


	23. Chapter 23

You were walking silently on the street, next to Dennis, hands by hands. Everything was calm and slow, not a single car has passed you for a while. The only thing that you could hear constantly was your pumping heart, pounding unstoppably in your throat. You were nervous, oh you were really nervous. But looking at your partner, he must have felt similarly. He was looking straight forward blankly, probably letting his thoughts mess in his head.

You bit your lower lip, thinking about what kind of topic you should bring up. Though this silence between the two of you actually didn't feel that awkward than it should've had. You, to be honest, enjoyed this calm and silent atmosphere, well, besides that lump in your stomach. You wondered though, how far was that restaurant Dennis was leading you to. Because, that elegant blazer which you'd got from Dr. Fletcher for this date was pretty and all, but the cold winds of October made you shiver once in a while. Gosh, was it still October though, right? Honestly, you didn't even check the date for even once since you had got back your phone. Maybe because you didn't want to jump back into the reality yet. Just think, since you got dragged out of your shitty life, you didn't even have to care about those obvious things like school, money or any other responsibility. It felt like a vacation... ok a really fucked up one, but still.

And actually, you were really scared of ending this 'vacation'...

"By the way.." Dennis broke the silence finally, after clearing his throat. You lifted up your head so that you could look into his eyes. "Since I wasn't sure what kind of meals you like, I picked a French restaurant. I hope you don't mind it."

"Nah, not at all." You shrugged with a sheepish smile "I have never been to a French restaurant anyway." To be honest, you have never been to any other place than that old canteen in the woods. Your dad spent all the money on his precious hunting equipment and since your mother had left you, you didn't have any other income. You spent almost every weekend in the woods though, when he had the free time to do a little father-daughter program... well father-daughter-uncle program... that asshole was everywhere thanks to his close bond with your father. Every weekend became hell after uncle John showed you his 'secret'. But, to be honest, those were still better times than the ones after your dad died. You wished just so many times to turn back the time and get rid of that asshole as soon as possible...

"Is everything okay..?"

You flinched to his voice, looking at him confusedly. You could see his worried eyes through his glasses. "What? Oh yeah.. yeah! My thoughts were just wandering away, that's all." You forced up a smile to his reassurance. Also, you just notice that you were squeezing his hand by yours, so you loosened its grip quickly. Geez, just stop whining and scaring people with your sudden blackouts! You're on a date, you should just simply enjoy it, god damn it!

"If you say so.." he responded with a sigh. You managed to make him maybe more worried, good job... "We're here by the way."

"Oh" you let out a surprised gasp while quickly looking around.

The two of you has just stopped in front of a red, single deck building. According to its full parking lot, you guessed that this must have been some fancy restaurant. It had a beautiful front yard with several fascinating bush statues. You have never seen this building though since it was at that side of the city that you've barely ever been to. Dennis opened the door for you which you thanked with a grateful smile. He could be such a gentleman if he wanted to.

Stepping into the restaurant, calm music and warm atmosphere welcomed you. While your partner went to the counter to register your book, you looked around. There were people everywhere, but much to your fortune you couldn't find any of your acquaintances here. Great, at least you didn't have to deal with unnecessary explaining.

"Mister, Miss, please follow me, I am going to show you your table."

You flinched to the voice of the waiter who bowed in front of you, showing the right direction with his hand. The two of you followed him until you arrived at a table next to a great sidelong window. He made you two to sit down and asked you about the drinks. After your order, he let you alone to choose from the main dishes.

"I don't get these names" you giggled seeing the French name of the plates on the paper "Thank god at least they wrote the ingredients down into the brackets."

"And that they put numbers in front of the names." your partner answered with a smile. "There's no way I could pronounce any of these names correctly."

"Oh, it's a shame, I would have loved to hear your struggle with French." your grin widened, after seeing that it has made your friend look at you sharply.

"I'm sorry Mon Chérie, but this won't happen tonight." A sudden blush appeared on your cheek to your new nickname, that even made you silent for a minute. Dennis looked up from the menu with a satisfied smile on his lips. "What? Cat got your tongue Sweetheart?"

"S-Shut up." you laughed at him still blushing.

His expression softened to your embarrassed voice, then he went in silence for a while, probably thinking about something. You were just about to ask what he is thinking about when he finally started talking again. "By the way.." His tone of voice became far serious and quieter that it made nervousness pool up in your stomach.

"Yeah?" You asked, looking up once again from the paper.

"I know this might irrelevant or.. even naive... But I would like to properly apologize for what me, Patricia and Hedwig had done." He gathered up his strength to look up and let your eyes meet. "I know this is not something that can be forgivable, but-"

"It's okay." You interrupted him almost automatically "I-I don't care about that anymore. I decided to give you one more chance. Do you think that I would be here if I were still angry at you?" you let out a giggle just to brighten up this tensed atmosphere between you. Before he could've given you a response, you continued, now with a bit more shaky tone "I only want to.. you know forget it. To think that it has never happened. Would this be okay for you?"

He startled for a moment as he processed what you've said, but then gave you a nod as an agreement "This would be great, yeah."

"Super, I'm glad we could solve this." you smiled at him while started staring the menu again. Though, deep inside you couldn't get rid of a thought that kept bothering you. And this was your own anxiety about this whole situation. Now you wanted to let it out but you needed a place for that. So you decided to go to the bathroom with some shitty excuse. This didn't seem that hard, right?

Although just when you wanted to leave, the waiter arrived asking if you could choose your order. Fortunately, both of you had chosen a dish by then, so the guy let the two of you alone again pretty quickly. With an excuse, you asked your partner to wait at your table until you'll come back.

In the bathroom, you went towards the sink to check your makeup. Is this how the cool girls do that right? You could only guess... Well, to be honest, you just wanted a calmer place to think a bit, to get your thoughts together. His apology made you wonder about Dr. Fletcher and what she'd said to you. She was right.. you.. you had Stockholm Syndrome. Dennis captured you. Took away your freedom and wanted to kill you. And still... Now you're on a date with him, enjoying the time, pretending like nothing had happened. You knew you should avoid him as much as possible, but instead, you just want to lean onto him, feeling his touch, kissing him like lovers do... Basically just to forget everything. This messed world, with all the problems that made you be constantly scared. There were times when you wanted to die instead, but now you... you had hope. That you can survive with him on your side.

...Have you always been this fucked-up?

Heh... probably yes. You just hadn't had a partner in crime. He was just as hurt as you, at least assuming on why he wanted to avenge so badly. Maybe the two of you could help each other to heal your wounds just a bit more.

...

You wanted to tell him. About your past, your uncle and what you'd been through because of him. Maybe not here in this restaurant, but a quiet place where no one can interrupt you. You knew he would help you. And maybe he would open as well.

With this thought, now with a self-confident smile, you stepped out of the bathroom, walking back to your table. Your partner was still there, sitting in his place, with his glasses in his clasped hands. "Sorry, I hope I didn't make you wait too much." You gave him a warm smile, but his expression was cold and worrying. And instead of smiling back, he just gave his bald head a smooth nervously. This made your stomach twist in worry. "Is everything ok? Dennis?" You asked shakily as you sat down.

"I am Barry, dear." he let out a sigh before continuing "And I need to talk to you about something important." your eyes widened in confusion. What could he possibly tell you? You nodded as a sign of agreement. He leaned closer and lowered his voice like he was fearing that the two of you have been monitored. "I don't have much time... Even though I was in charge of using the light, I know that Dennis somehow got it as well. I don't know how, but it makes me really worried."

"B-But you don't have to worry, it's just because he wants to be with me." you answered with a reassuring smile, though your words became maybe a bit too shaky.

He shook his head with a heavy swallow "No dear, I have a fear, that he is planning something else too. Remember, he kidnapped you and wanted to sacrifice you, and for what? For awakening a monster that would destroy everyone! Do you really think that he would give up his plan just because now he likes someone? Don't be that naive please."

"N-no.." you whispered out, shaking your head desperately "No, he has changed. I can see that. I know..."

For a moment, he looked down onto the table, biting his lower lip. Then looking back into your eyes, he said hesitantly "Are you really sure.. that it is not only what you want to believe in?"

His answer felt like backstab especially after hearing that bitter tone of his voice. Honestly? You weren't sure at all. You have never was. But it was something you had really wanted to believe for once. And you still wanted. More than anything.

Instead of giving him a response, you stayed silence, forcing back those upcoming tears that wanted to break out of you. The man, after seeing your reaction, put his hand on your shoulders that made you flinch a bit. Somehow his touch felt alien to you even though they were in the same body. "I came here to ask you for something." You lifted up your head to look into his eyes again "Please... search after what Dennis is planning. And if you see anything weird around him, go straight to Dr.Fletcher. You can see those things that we can't. Because he will only let his guard down if you are around."

"B-But.." you sighed out shakily, however he interrupted you.

"Please! For everyone's sake!" then after a shaky inhale, he continued "The Horde is dangerous for everyone who they think about as an enemy! If we don't stop them, they will do just as horrible things as they have done to you!"

Looking into his eyes, you could see the hellish mix of struggle, worry, sadness. He clearly didn't want to trick you, this could be seen for sure. And this just made everything seem even more painful. You sighed desperately before giving him an answer finally "A-Alright... I'll try to do something."

For your answer, his expression softened, even a faded smile appeared on his lips too. He grabbed your hand with both of his as a sign of gratefulness "Thank you. Thank you so much, dear. Be our eyes, and maybe you can save us all. But be careful.. and do not hesitate to turn towards Dr.Fletcher if something happens."

"I will." You answered briefly while nodding in agreement. "Thank you for letting me know this." Your voice was cold and full of disappointment. You looked away and started staring the table blankly. Looking into his eyes just made you feel much worse. Your chest hurt enough just like this anyway...

His smile brightened up a bit as while squeezing your hand as a reassurance. "Oh, just one more thing." Your eyes moved onto his face again. What else did he want to say? "Dennis is clever and doesn't leave traces after himself. But I think you should check-"

He stopped suddenly, taking away his hands from yours. His expression froze like he has just realized something.

"What?" You looked at him confusedly, until he suddenly let out a deep sigh and put back his glasses again. You swallowed nervously as you leaned back on the chair. He came back.

It was Dennis again.

You weren't anxious because of him, but the possible upcoming conversation that you had to face at any moment. The man massaged his temple as he tried to gather his thoughts again. "Who was here?" His voice was dry and cold that made your stomach twist.

A silly thought came to your mind: you didn't want to lie to him, but at the same time you didn't want Barry to get caught because of you. And because you felt that Barry didn't have any bad intentions, you decided to stand up on his side this time. "I don't know. I-I've just sat down when I saw you come back." You forced a calm tone onto your voice just to make yourself a bit more believable "What could they want?"

He just looked at you in silence and this made your heartbeat skip for a moment. Did he notice you lied to him? Were you that bad at acting? "Well, I have a guess who could use the Light." He said finally after a pause "Or at least he must have participated in this..." his eyes moved away from you as he leaned on the table with clasped hands. "I don't know what they want... But I recommend them not to meddle with other's business." Then he let out a deep sigh not saying anything more. He must have been thinking about something, and according to his expression, they couldn't be too pleasant things.

After gathering all your strength, you reached out of Dennis' hands to grab them with a reassuring smile. He turned his head towards you after feeling your touch on his skin. "Don't worry about them. At least for now. I mean.. Now they can't ruin this evening of ours, can they?" You softened your smile to make it more natural.

After a bit of hesitation his lips curled into a smile too as he started "Yeah, you're right. This is our date and nobody can interrupt it." His tone felt sincere and actually, this made you reassured and happy at the same time. Though his next sentence made these feelings turn into guilt immediately. "Thank you, for supporting me. Emotionally, I mean. Knowing you on my side makes me truly grateful and happy."

"...Always." You answered softly though you felt the guilt tearing you apart from inside. Of course... Of course, he had to be freaking cute just when you decided to lie to him and backstab him after he lets out his guard. You really hated yourself for this.

You weren't different from a two-faced bitch at this sacred moment.

"Mister, Miss, could you excuse us for a minute?"

You suddenly froze to the unknown voice but then both of you quickly turned towards the source of it. A man and black woman were standing next to your table, both of them in uniform, the man showing you to his badge. This man asked the question from you in a serious, frightening tone.

"Could you please show us your credentials, Miss?" The woman continued in the similar scary tone.

You swallowed, not daring to say anything. Much to your fortune, Dennis stood up and asked the question that was on your tongue as well. "Could I ask... who are you?"

The man looked at your partner calmly "Philadelphia police. We have got a call about the missing girl who disappeared two weeks ago. So once again, could you show us your credentials, Miss?"

Fuck.

.  
You two were in serious shit.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> //Hey guys~☆
> 
> You thought that I would give you some fluffy sweet chapter right? Huh, the joke's on you! *depressed laughter*
> 
> No, but seriously, I hope you won't bite my head off for making this date so angst-fully lolol
> 
> We all know that there were so many unsolved problems yet, so I thought we should dive into them as soon as possible~☆ And don't worry that fluffiness will come around as well soon~♡ Just wait for them!
> 
> As always, thank you for your enormous support!☆ Stay tuned!!//


	24. Chapter 24

"I-I.." you stuttered nervously. The sight of the policemen made your heart race in fear. Why were you scared though? It's not even like you had done something bad... You were a victim after all. Maybe the thing that kept making you worried was that if the police found out about this... whole kidnapping story, they would arrest Dennis immediately. And actually, this was the last thing you wanted.

"...Miss? Is something wrong?" The woman frowned with a suspicious expression on her face.

"N-no of course not.." you forced up a smile searching for your wallet desperately. Your heart kept pounding painfully in your throat while those little gears were trying to figure out how you could preserve your friend getting caught. You could have just simply told them everything... But instead, you were willing to risk your own innocence in order to help him. 

Suddenly though, you noticed the lack of your wallet that was nowhere to be found. Shit, you forgot, that Dennis had given you back your phone only, but your wallet was still at him. Not that you missed it or something.. but it could make things even worse now.

You quickly looked at your friend with despaired eyes, hoping that he'll get your hidden signs. He, after seeing your panicked expression, frowned at first, but then hitting by the realization, he started searching in his pockets until he took out a little, shabby holder. 

"I'm sorry, I forgot to give this back." he said, handing your property to you.

You smiled at him just as a reassurance. It may haven't seemed to be too honest, but you tried. "It's okay, I also forgot it." Grabbing it, you quickly put out your identity and residence card from that, and shakily gave them to the cops. They frowned just frowned mutely at your reaction and mainly the two of your conversation that you've just made. You swallowed heavily. Did they start suspecting something already?

"Thank you Miss." said the policeman, and after taking it, a tensed silence settled between the four f you. You made a nervous eye-contact with your friend, desperately asking him with your eyes what to do. He, after noticing you, nodded slightly, showing you that he had everything under control. Which he hadn't though, you knew that just by seeing sweat slowly sliding down on his temple. He might have been acting calmly, but you knew he was as scared as you.

"She IS the missing one..." The woman whispered, looking at her partner as if they were discussing something just by looking at each other. Your stomach twisted while you kept staring them fearfully. "Alright Miss, could you explain us all the posters that can be seen in the whole town?"

"That's.." you started shyly, but couldn't really finish it. You really, really didn't want your friend to get in trouble, even if it would have been 'fair'.

The cop sighed and then continued her monolog in a dead-serious voice that could "Well, according to the report, you disappeared on the 6th of October, after 6:30 pm. It is said that you have attended a girl, called Claire Benoit's 19th birthday party. According to what the girl told us, you refused them to take you to home and chose the local bus service instead. This was the last time any of our interrogatees have seen you. Is this correct?"

"Y-yes.." you whispered out while staring in front of you blankly. 

Shit.. they do know everything...

"Then could you please report us what happened exactly?" The policeman asked in a much more gentle voice. Maybe he noticed how you have gone pale so suddenly and probably just wanted to reassure you a bit.

"I.." you started but got stuck again. But after a heavy swallow, something popped into your mind. So that, you finally decided to continue "I ran away." Dennis looked at you, widening his eyes in surprise.

"Excuse me?" The policeman frowned, then looked at his companion. "Did you run away? From who?"Biting your lower lip, you clutched your hand into fists on your knees. You knew it. The time has come.

You will make that fucker get into jail.

"From... my uncle, John Brown." you stopped, not looking up from the floor. Right now, your chest felt like it could have exploded as your heart kept bumping heavily in it. You expected someone to interfere, but instead, everyone stayed in silence. This actually made you far more nervous than you should have been "He.." you inhaled shakily "He is a molester..."

You did it. You actually say it out loud. But this wasn't enough, you had to continue.

"He has been molesting me since I was 5, then kept abusing me, hurting me... and.. I just couldn't take it anymore." Your voice was dying and barely listenable. Your eyes didn't move from your legs, but even to your greatest surprise, tears were nowhere to be found. Not even one.   
You weren't scared anymore. Nor nervous that your plan wouldn't work. No.. You just... didn't feel anything. At all. As you let out this burden, the only thing you could feel was emptiness.

The others though, they got shocked. Especially the cops, since you knew Dennis must have suspected something, It was obvious that he called someone pure after he got sure that the person had a tragic past. He didn't know exactly what, only he knew that Something had happened. But even like this, hearing this little part of your long depressing story made him startle as well.

"I uhh" the woman started but started biting her lower lip "We're sorry, right, Brad?" She looked at her partner nervously and after his nod, she continued "We didn't know anything about that... But this means, that our job hasn't finished here."   
"Yes, she's right!" The man agreed. "We have to arrest that man as soon as possible! Is he your tutor? Does he live in under the same address that you?"

Still not looking back to them, you slowly nodded in silence. The cops struggled at first, not knowing how to solve this, but then the woman using her walkie talkie started reporting the situation back to the office. You didn't interfere them. You just kept sitting in your place like a statue. It was sure that every hidden eye was on your back. No wonder, you have been in the center of their attention since the police appeared... Great...

"Alright, Mister, Miss, please come with us." The woman said after finishing her report.

"Where are we going?" Dennis frowned after stepping next to you like he wanted to protect you. He didn't touch you, or anything, maybe he felt that it would have just made matters worse. Still, you were grateful to him. He was the only one who could give you a bit ray of happiness in this messed up situation.

"Sir, we are going to end this. I've just transmitted the account, and they gave me the authorization to arrest that man. And since the house will be under investigation until the court determines the final judgment upon him, the lady has to move to another place. Therefore we are taking her to the location to get her stuff together, and you Sir as well, since we assume you would like to make her company."

"That's right." He answered briefly while setting his glasses with a cold expression.

"So we would like to ask the two of you to come with us now." The woman continued after a frown.

"But what about our dinner? If I recall correctly, you two interrupted our-"

"It's fine, Dennis." You interfered him in a weak voice. "I-I just want to finish this as soon as possible."

Your friend turned his eyes towards you, but then just let out a frustrated sigh. "Fine then." He commented coldly, maybe even disappointedly. He might have been upset because of your messed up date, but that was not important to you now. Finally, you had a bigger fish to catch. 

That motherfucker. 

Grabbing Dennis's arm, you followed the cops into the parking lot, where their car has been left alone. The two of you sat down in the backseat, waiting until the man drove out to the road. You stayed quiet in the whole time, staring out of the window into the dull night. The woman was talking non-stop, making reports, and constantly notifying her -you guessed- other colleagues about your current situation. You didn't really pay attention though. Those little gears in your head were thinking about something else. Your last meet with your uncle. Because oh, you could assure yourself, that it'll never happen to visit him after he's got into the jail. Oh no, you hoped he'll rot there alone and lonely...

After a soft nudge, you turned to your friend. He gave you a reassuring smile without any word. Was he worrying about you? Oh, you just noticed, that you unconsciously squeezed his hands again during your cogitation. Geez, you must look pretty depressed as well. You really should stop making people worry about you...

You heavily swallowed after hearing the police car's motor to stop. Your heart was pounding in your throat as you watched the two police officers get off the car and approach your house cautiously. The Siren was off, they wanted to surprise him, not letting to get away so easily. You shakily stared them through Dennis's side's window and you were unintentionally leaned to his shoulder. He didn't say anything but looked at you silently then turned his head towards the upcoming scene. Some dramatic moments were about to happen.

The two of you kept watching as the cops walked to the front door, and knocked in. Your stomach twisted, as uncle John opened the door, looking confusedly at the strangers. They seemed to say something to him, most likely about the arrest because he lifted up his head in protest like some innocent passing by. You clenched your hand into a fist as you felt the gathering anger start to burst out. Of course, of course, that asshole didn't dare to admit those horrible things he had done. Of course! No, you were just about to make him send to jail, you won't miss this one opportunity.

Letting go Dennis' arm, you quickly hopped out of the car, and started walking to them with determination. John, after seeing you, widened his eyes in surprise and confusion, not daring to say anything.

"You!" You shouted in anger, pointing shakily at him.

"S-sweetie what is this?" He asked with a scared swallow.

"Weren't we clear enough Mister?" The policeman said in a serious tone "You're under arrest because of underage molestation!"

He startled, not being able to give a proper response until the cop made a move and quickly pushed him to the wall and handcuffed him from behind. Your uncle groaned furiously as soon as he couldn't move at all. "This is how the things are??" He shouted at you rampageously. "This is what I get after caring about you for many years?! Giving you home after your father died?! This is how you thank me?!!"

You didn't flinch at his rampage, you were not afraid of him. He didn't have control over you anymore. Not giving him answer, you just looked at him with pure hatred in your eyes. Every inch of you was on fire that has been lit by the adrenaline. You were shaking, not because of fear, but the raving feeling that spread across your body.

Your uncle, seeing your reaction, quickly switched to a softer tone "You really, really made me disappointed, Sweetie. I gave you love and care, and yet, you betrayed me. I love you, I raised you as my own child-"

"Fuck you." You snapped at him in a deadly quiet voice. "I should have killed you when I had the chance."

His eyes darkened, lips pushing together as he narrowed his eyes. "Watch your mouth girl, or maybe you'll get punished from life."

To his threatening, you only answered with a cold expression frozen on your face. "I've got enough punishment for a whole lifetime, thank you."

The cops looked at each other than the man finally interfered by starting dragging away your uncle. "Alright, let's go. We don't have time for this."

The captured man struggled for a while, trying to escape from his prison, but with no success. The police took him away and as he got further from you, you could finally feel the heart beats in your chest, squeezing your lungs as you heavily tried to balance your breathing. It was painful, and the lack of adrenaline made you dizzy even if you only had to stand straight on your feet. Your eyes moved from the struggling man to the dark ground. You didn't want to look at him anymore. No, even if the sight of him twisted your stomach in disgust.

You hated that man more than anything.

The voice of your friend made you flinch as he stopped next to you. "I didn't know about your uncle..." Not looking at him, you kept staring the ground under your feet. Those heavy feelings in your chest muted you totally. Dennis sighed, then softened his voice as a reassurance "If you want to talk about it, I'm here."

After a bit of hesitation, you swallowed and lifted your eyes upon him. Parting your lips, you were just about to give him an answer or some kind, but the woman appeared in front of you, interrupting that conversation of yours. 

"We're going to transfer the man into an impermanent cell until the interrogation will be done. The house will be shut down during the investigation, so please if you have any necessary belongings, take them now under our surveillance."

"Alright..." you gave the quiet response. Though, before you could turn away, she continued with a question that made you startled.

"By the way, Miss, do you have anything to go? You're an adult now, so officially you don't need an adult's supervision, but just to be sure."

Looking away, you bit your lips. Of course, currently you had a roof over your head already, but it was temporary, you couldn't ask her to give you one part of the apartment... Especially since you couldn't give her anything in exchange.

"She'll be fine." You flinched as Dennis got his arm around your shoulder. "There is enough place in my apartment for the two of us." Feeling blush coming across your cheeks, you nodded without actual thinking.

The woman smiled at both of you. "Good. This lady must have been through a lot. Protect her Sir. And take care on your way home. The streets can be dangerous especially at night."

"We will. Thank you." Your partner answered sharing the police officer's smile. 

"..I-I should pack my stuff then." you stuttered quietly, still feeling the warmth on your rubescent face, and after peeling out of yourself from his embrace, you went straight to the house. He managed to make your heart race with just a few words, feeling you weak again. Gosh, this man... Also, why did you agreed so easily into living with him?? Maybe it'll be just some days, but still. Just the thought of this made you blush again. You were just SO vulnerable against him.

Stepping into the building all of your previous emotions left you suddenly, as soon as the familiar furniture appeared in your sight. This may have sounded hilarious, but you couldn't feel that.. 'home' feeling here. Even at Dr.Fletcher's apartment, you could feel yourself more at home than in this place. Maybe those memories about the hateful years that you had to spend here. These killed the feeling that you have a home to return. 

Slowly, you approached the room where you lived in all these years. That little hole, with a small window which was always closed. There were times when some silly thoughts came to your mind here. In your darkest times...

"So is this your room?" 

You turned to the source of the voice. It was Dennis, who came in, looking around. "Yeah.." you answered with a faded smile "Not the.. most friendly place, is it?"

"Can't really say otherwise." he agreed while leaning to the little shelf you had. There was a frame on it with a picture of you, your dad, and your uncle. That asshole was scrabbled out of the photo with a black thick marker. He didn't comment anything about that, even if you saw in his eyes, that he had some questions to you. 

Instead of giving him answers, you just looked back to your bed with a thoughtful expression. "You know.. I hated this place. Like.. from the bottom of my heart." you let out a maybe forced chuckle that caught your friend's eyes. "When I was here, rotting in this dirty hole, I was thinking about many things. Running away, escaping to wherever, it didn't really matter where actually. Just.. you know... far away from here." 

He didn't say anything but listened every one of your words carefully. Since he didn't interfere, you continued after a shaky, deep inhale. "But my thoughts didn't stop here. I was so desperate. I was thinking about every kind of solution..." you knew that he knew as well what you were going to say "Even if it was murder. Me or him. It didn't matter. I hurt myself, hoping that it'll help. But instead, he just took away more freedom from me, in order to stop me." Gross tears started falling to the ground. Finally, those forced back feelings that hurt your chest until now, were about to burst. 

You flinched as you felt familiar hands on your shoulder. He was standing next to you, looking at you with soft eyes that made even more tears escape. "It's okay now. He'll stay in his cell from now on. And he can never touch you ever again. You are free." The voice of his, the gentle, warm contact he gave you, and the words he has just said...

You couldn't take it back anymore.

Leaning onto him, you buried your head into his chest, hugging him as tight as you could, you finally let out a loud, shaky sob. He slowly embraced your trembling body as you kept crying into his shirt. He gently rubbed your back without any words. But to be honest, this was perfectly enough for you. He didn't have to say anything more that could have been as reassuring as just being under his arms, feeling the protection around you. 

You weren't scared, or anxious anymore. Not here, not in this sacred minutes. You didn't feel that everything is against you, that you had no place in this world. No.. the only thing you could feel was... reassurance. And this was thanks to him. 

.

Only and exclusively to him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> //Hey hey hey~☆
> 
> I'm sorry for this messed up schedule, but I was super busy (and actually I'm still, but I'm happy I managed to somehow finish this chapter) so.. ye. But I can assure you that you won't have to wait this long for the next one~☆
> 
> SO! Geez, this chapter was an emotional rollercoaster. But I hope I could catch the true feelings of hers in a correct way.~☆
> 
> I don't really have much to say now. Thank you for reading my story! Or commenting or voting for that! Thank you just in general! You guys are awesome!!//


	25. Chapter 25

How long have you been in Dennis' protecting arms? Probably not much time though, since the police officer cautiously knocked to the doorframe and cleared her throat, signifying that the two of you should hurry a bit more. It was true that they had to wait for some other cops to close the area, but still, you should have been far away from this house by then. After warning you, she disappeared again just to leave the two of you alone once more.

Slowly, you let your friend go, inhaling the last part of his sweet perfume that could be still scented on his suit. Your heart twisted to the fact to release him but you did it anyway. "Thank you..." You said quietly after a longer break. Still feeling the warmth of your cheeks, you kept staring at his chest. "And uh... I'm sorry. For this.. you know, breakdown."

"It's okay." He shrugged with a gentle smile. "If you look for someone's shoulder to cry on, I'm here to help."

You let out a soft giggle. "Thank you, this means a lot. Honestly." And it really did. You have never really had anyone who you could turn to after all that happened. And now, he was there for you as a backup as a supporter.

For once, you didn't feel like you were alone.

"By the way" you continued with a smile on your face "I should really pack my stuff. I don't want Mrs.Policewoman to be pissed off."

"I think it's too late already."

Giggling to his comment, you turned away, and went to your closet and took out a dark blue linen bag out of it. Although you stopped after seeing that its size could not be appropriate. "Maybe I should choose another one.." you said your thoughts out loudly.

Your partner looked at you, then after a bit hesitation his voice hit your ears again."Don't think about it. Just pack what's really necessary."

Lifting up your head towards him, your eyes met with his. "But my clothes-"

"I'll buy you some new one."

Feeling your cheeks turning red, you stuttered "B-But-"

"No buts! Just pack the stuff you like and let's go." he started grinning while leaning to the bookshelf behind him with crossed arms.

Not really knowing what to say, you just swallowed down your shaky answer, and nodded with a hidden smile. The familiar warm feeling pooled up in your stomach again. "And where are we going?"

"Where? Well.." he cleared his throat a bit more nervously "Of course I will take you home. To Dr. Fletcher's." Then he continued hesitantly "Surely I told the police that you're gonna stay with me... but you don't have to take this as an obligation. Just.. to clear it."

A small giggle let out your lips to his discrete answer "Alright."

You didn't exactly know why, but this made you real happy.

____________________________________

You asked Dennis's help in packing just so the two of you could finish as soon as possible. Less than 10 minutes later, after saying goodbye to the cops, both of you were on the streets again. You didn't mind leaving the house so soon actually, it just brought you negative vibes in every second. And you wanted to escape from this feeling possibly forever.

Dry, autumn wind rushed through your cheeks, but you weren't cold since finally, your jacket could cover your upper body. Dennis was carrying that little blue bag that you'd found, even if you'd refused it at first. After all, once he decided something, he always made it to the end. He was just one of a hellish persistent guy.

To your ask, neither of you was about to go home. This cold fall night could clear your thoughts at least. Today was a mess, and you both could agree with it.

So the next goal was finding a calm quiet place where you could stop by. Probably a park, or even a playground maybe. Your heart was heavy and you planned to lighten up that a bit. Especially that now he knew about your uncle anyway.

Heading to a local park, you looked around. Dull lights were brightening the pitch black sky. It must have been harvest moon since the orb was nowhere to be seen. Neither other people in around a 100-meter wide zone. To be honest, this place seemed to be perfect for a calm inner conversation.

"Could we stop here for a bit?" You made the idea up in a quiet voice. 

"Sure, we can even sit down on a bench or something."

Great, this is just what you wanted to do as well. "Thanks." Now came the harder part. You felt the nerves making your stomach squeeze. But this conversation shouldn't have been that difficult, should have? Then what was your problem...? 

"Is everything OK?" His worried voice made you jump slightly.

"Y-yeah!" You answered briefly while clenching your fist on your thigh. You felt the nerves settling from your stomach to your chest. It hardened your breath just a bit which was enough to feel a constantly uncomfortable pressure around your lungs. "I-I just..." you started finally, but you had to swallow before continuing. Gosh, why was this so hard? "I was just thinking about today."

"Oh.." he let out an almost disappointed noise. "About our date or..?"

Blush appeared as you hear his ask. Actually, no, you haven't even think about that, to be honest. "N-no, although, I hope we can repeat it someday." You said with a smile that made his lips curl up as well. "I was actually thinking about.." continuing it, you changed your tone into a more serious one, still feeling that lump in your stomach. "About my uncle. And what I've been through." Your voice stayed quiet as you looked at your partner. He didn't say anything, only met his eyes with yours. This silence meant that you could go on. "Because you know, I feel like today, even if not that much, but at least a bit could.. you know make up for the past."

Still looking at you, your friend leaned back to the back of the bench with a deep inhale. "I know you said, that you need time to let out all your feelings about this. But you can tell me anything, I have your back, I hope you know that."

You knew it, you knew it well.

"I.." you parted your lips, but then hesitated. Your chest was heavy, and filled with memories that were needed to be shared. You had to continue. "I was in a good relationship with him at first." You finally started, this time deciding to stare the starry sky blankly as you were trying to remember back to the events. "He was not always like that... or maybe he was. Just.. I don't know. Maybe he wanted to wait or who the hell knows that..." a short break came, but then you continued "But yeah... He always joined the hunting with my dad and me. It was always just the three of us since my uncle was single and my mom has left us after my birth. Everything was normal, even if I didn't enjoy hunting at all. But... then one day, he acted weird.. and dragged me into his sick game."

Your voice trembled for a minute. Dennis just kept listening to you without any commentary. "I thought, that.. you know, it's like a one-time shit. But" shaking your head you let out a hard sigh "No.. he planned more, and I couldn't escape, until.." and you stopped here. Deep silence. Your partner frowned but still didn't say anything. "Until... I became so desperate that I tried to kill him. I-I..." your voice was shaky again, this time tears started gathering in your eyes. "I shot at him. But it missed. I had a shotgun, it could have easily killed him with one shot... I was like 5 years old and I was already thinking about killing somebody..."

You pushed your palm to your face to wipe off the now flowing tears of yours. Your breath was trembling and weak as you tried to inhale the cold autumn air. Your friend, he actually couldn't really react anything yet. He was just sitting next to you, keeping his eyes on you like a statue. He was chewing his lower lip frustratedly though, as he was trying to find out any good reassurance.

"I was not different from a murderer..." you whipered out in a deadly week voice.

"No that's.." he snapped, but then lowered his tone, not knowing what to say. He could have said many things actually. But he knew the same answer to all of them. Because.. this is what he would have said to you if your current positions had been the opposite.

Slowly looking at him, you wiped another tear away "There's no excuse for that. The end justifies the mean? Don't mess with me... there's just no excuse for killing. Even if the victim is a shithead like him." You sniffed to make you be able to breathe again. "But.. yeah, he didn't dare to try anything after that. For a while at least. I guessed that maybe my dad got suspicious, so I naively thought that if I stay with him, then everything will be alright... But of course, as we all know life is a bitch..." You chuckled but in the end, it sounded more forced than you wanted it to be. "And.." another pause, and you felt that another big portion of tears burst out as your breathing weakened again. "My dad got cancer and passed away... A-And I was forced to move to my uncle's house since he was the only sibling of mine who wanted me to stay with..."

You parted your lips again, but his time none of your words left them. You actually didn't exactly know how to express yourself now, and it seemed neither your partner knew that. He surely tried to be a kind of support for you, but at the same time, he remained in silence just so that you won't get disturbed from your monolog. 

"And..." you continued with a shaky sigh "I'm not gonna lie if I say that these years were pure nightmares... like you know.. I couldn't even turn to anyone. I didn't have any support at home, and I chose to distant myself from the others. I chose to be alone instead... and to be honest, I genuinely think this was one of my worst choices." With a faded smile but still crying, you turned to him and shook your head. "I was so lonely. So alone... And I don't want to feel this again..."

"My my... come here." He said gently, reaching out and embracing you. You leaned against his shoulder, freely sobbing out all the bad feelings that had been pushing your chest constantly.

"You will never feel alone. I assure you about that."

This sentence of his genuinely melted your heart "You don't know how much this means to me Dennis..." you sobbed out after a bit of hesitation, still, you let out a relieved smile. Gosh, he could just make you so happy. 

"No, Sweetheart, I can completely understand it. I know exactly how it feels to be alone in this messed world." He answered quietly, while he started caressing your arm. You looked up at him with your tear-worn eyes as a silent ask. After your eyes met, he let out a sigh like he understood what you wanted to ask from him. "Kevin, he didn't have a good childhood... His mom was always strict and never pleased no matter what he did for her. She always hurt her, like it could have made any difference, any change." He stopped for a minute, looking away, but then he continued in a heavier tone. "Well actually her method made a change. It made me, then slowly the others. Kevin was so desperate and broken, that his body, as a self-defence, let other individuals appear in his mind to take the reins. I was the first one who came to help him... and so I had to face with his mother. They were hard times, really hard and painful times." 

You could feel by his voice how much he was struggling. He tried to stay cool, but you could understand how difficult it was to recall those memories that you just wanted to bury as deep as possible. "And.. were you able to face her like.. in real?" you asked in a weak voice.

He shook his head. "No, of course not. She had a cleaning disease and.. I had to adapt. I wanted to protect him, so I accepted what I needed to do."

This one sentence of his made your heart scrunch. He didn't have a choice. He's never had. He had to choose to take all the responsibility in order to help the others. Like some kind of sacrifice. He may have never talked about this with anyone... but you knew he was in real pain deep inside. "I'm sorry..." you said while embracing your arms around his chest so that you could push your forehead on it. 

"It's okay. It is the past anyway." He whispered out in a soft, bittersweet voice. 

You could feel his heart racing there to your touch.

"No, it's not." shaking your head, you responded. "You carried the pain alone for so long. And even now... I know that you're even refused in that circle of yours. Even if Patricia and Hedwig are with you... I know that you still feel alone." you paused for a minute to prepare for the next. "And I don't want you to feel this anymore. We both experience what was like being in the dark. I don't want you to experience it again." Slowly looking up at him, you nervously swallowed.

Suddenly you felt so vulnerable again.

"I want to be on your side." You whispered out.

Small curls appeared on his lips to your words. "Then let's fight again this god damn world, just you and me, Princess."

Soft, tired grin had covered your face. He leaned towards you slowly, as you saw him closing his eyes. You felt your cheeks getting hot, but it didn't bother you. Leaning towards him, you let his lips carefully touch yours as you also closed your eyes. 

It felt like the time has stopped around you. Feeling his warm lips in the cold autumn weather. Feeling his touch on your arm which then slowly wandered up to face, rubbing gently on your hot cheeks, and his pleasurable scent that could make butterflies in your stomach...

Nothing could have ruined this moment. 

You let his tongue into your mouth to have an intense dance with yours so that your kiss quickly became passionate and hot instead of soft and calm. But to be honest, you didn't mind. At all. You felt like your heart could have jumped out of your chest at this rate. Your whole body was hot like you were on fire, and this is just all because of him. 

Because of the lack of oxygen, the two of you had to release each other at one time. And actually, despite that you were expecting some embarrassed look, both of you started giggling after you got free. You leaned back, still chuckling to his chest like a complete idiot, you could still hear his intensely racing heart pumping inside him. And this just made your grin even wider. His thumb was in the middle of your back, rubbing it gently as he tried to calm himself down as well.

"We should go, shouldn't we?" Dennis broke the silence finally. You heard out of his voice, that he was smiling too. 

"Yeah, it's getting cold here." You answered, still giggling quietly. 

"Then I'll take you t Dr. Fletcher's."

"No." You lifted up your head firmly, much to his surprise. His confused look made you actually even redder than the kiss that you've just had. Your confidence left you already. "I-I mean" you continued, in a way more sheepish voice "let's go to your house." you swallowed feeling the hotness cover all of your face this time.

"This is what you want?" He asked in a touched tone. He was clearly not expecting your answer.

You nodded shyly. His lips curled into a smile, as he gently stroked your cheek.

"Then, let's go home, Sweetheart."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> //Hey guys!~~
> 
> Uhm... *nervous scratch* this is why I should never make promises. Like just when I promised that this one won't take that long, it almost took 2 times more to write. *sighes* I'm sorry. We had some family stuff but now maybe I can concentrate a bit more to my things at least! (nothing bad happened, just I couldn't focus on my stuff)
> 
> ANYWAY! We finally reached this point too. I thought I'll never reach this part lololol. But I'm quite happy about it. Hope you like it too~
> 
> Also, I have a bit of struggle about the next chapter, but we will see how it'll go!~
> 
> Thank you for being here, your support what kept pushing me forward in this hard time as well!!//


	26. Chapter 26

After deciding where to go, the two of you finally left the park and were on the way to Dennis' home. Different feelings kept being mixed in your mind, as you were quietly moving forward step by step on your friend's side. Both excitement and tension pushed mercilessly your lungs like an invisible force that wanted to burst out from inside. Of course, you were happy. Oh gosh, you were so much. It felt like a dream as your lips melted together with care and affection. You wanted to feel it again and again and again. Like an unstoppable ride on a breathtaking rollercoaster, every second of it tore out you from this shitty monochrome world. And you just could get enough of this. 

On the other hand, a dark, unsettling feeling kept bothering you deep inside, that slowly sucked up all your positive feelings and covered you with anxiety and insecurity. It was because of your god damn uncle, you knew this. You couldn't escape from the horrible past even if it burned up all your efforts... You wished that this would fade someday... because you wanted to show your true self to him. And you were willing to do anything just to triumph upon it.

Anyway, you just hoped that he didn't misunderstand your intentions.

It didn't take too long to get to his place. Around half an hour later, both of you were standing in front of an apartment house. It settled into a quiet district on the outskirts. According to the aged, dingy walls and the cold, rusty stairs, the building was probably built a long time ago. You didn't mind that though, it was just most likely a temporary home for him anyway.

His apartment settled on the fifth floor, next to some old lady, who he didn't really make a good relation with. She was even a bit afraid of him as your friend said. To be honest, you could understand it... people were usually afraid of things that they don't know, especially if this unknown was in your next door. Never judge a book by its cover, they say, but of course, this was what everyone did anyway. As you got deeper with your feelings about Dennis, you could understand his situation even better.

Stepping into his 3-room-big apartment, a sudden cozy feeling started pooling up in your stomach. Despite the darksome outside, his place looked pretty decent, wooden floor with a nice, brown carpet, white, silky curtains in front of a big window in the middle of the living room. Obviously, there weren't any fancy statues or painting around... well no, actually there were some drawings about fashion models on the wall, in frames. Not many though, but those looked pretty good, the one who made them must have spent a lot of time during the making progress.

"Make yourself at home." Said your friend with a smile, taking down his shoes. Then after putting on slippers, he handed another pair to you as well. He surely was trying not to make any mess here.

"Your home is really nice." You commented as you took the slippers, looking around in awe.

"Oh, do you like it? Good. It was hard to furnish it in a way to please everyone. Though Barry was in charge in the whole stuff, that's why everything looks in a way that hits his standards."

"I see." You giggled as you took down your coat. Dennis reached his hand, so you gave it to him and he could put it on the empty coat hook. This part of his room reminded you to the one in the basement: coats were lined up in order next to each other, everything in different style, feminine and manly coats, though the contrast was not that much like there, since -you guessed- they didn't want to drag the attention towards them... At least that much. 

"I'll show you the rooms, then." He said taking your hand "I don't have much space, but... it's more than nothing." He shrugged as the two of you went from doorway to the middle of the living room. This was basically the center of the apartment as well. He showed every place in a precise order. You started the house-tour on the right, where the kitchen and some kind of pantry were built. Through the kitchen window, you could see onto the -now- quiet street. Outside everything was sleeping, the only thing that made a bit of life sign was the dull lighting lamps on the pavement.

Everything was so calm, and quiet and you loved it.

Next was the already-known living room. Basically, this place was an all-in-three common room as the dining room and office was settled here as well. At least this is what you assumed after seeing a little dining table for 4 people stepping out of the kitchen and a computer in the corner. There was another table in the other corner, on the other side of the window, with some art supplies and fashion drawings om the wall. According to your friend, it was Barry's 'little shrine' where he worked as a designer. And now the conversation between Dennis and Dr.Fletcher popped into your mind from the other day. Yeah, they were talking about the same thing that annoyed the back of your mind as well. Now if Dennis wants to be in charge for the light, then how will he earn money? You guessed that diseased people got subvention from the government, but he needed to work until now too. So? Maybe this was what he was doing on his computer when you were talking via phone like 2 days before...

Well, maybe you'll ask him about this tomorrow since you didn't want to bother him unnecessarily.

On the left side of the living room, there were 3 more rooms that you could go into, the bathroom the toilet, and of course, his bedroom. He had only a bathtub as you saw and a clear counter with a sink and mirror on the wall. Some makeup laid lazily next to the tap, most likely for some of the women individuals. The sight of the 23 different toothbrushes in 4 glasses made you smile. Stepping into the bedroom, your stomach twisted nervously seeing the double-bed facing the two of you.

"I only have this bed, but I might have a guest bed down in the storage. He said probably after seeing your startled reaction. "I can carry that up here if you want."

"N-No I'll be fine." You said briefly, though it was not that firm that you wanted it to be.   
"Are you sure about that?" He frowned and you paused.

No, you weren't sure, and he knew that. You would have accepted it at day, but at night... your anxiety grew stronger every time. It was not like you were afraid of him, no, of course not. You were afraid of the possible flashback that could have started haunting you anytime. You weren't sure if being with Dennis could help you at all.

"I'll bring it up then." He said and set his glasses with a light move.

"No, it's okay! I-I don't need that." Your answer was brief once again, but then your voice quietened as you continued. "I don't want to give you more work..."

"And you don't give me any." He showed you a reassuring smile. "I'll just bring it here, so you can choose where you want to sleep."

"Thank you." You smiled back at him sheepishly, then grabbed his arm. "But can I help at least?"

"You're sweet, but I can do it alone." He chuckled softly, but after seeing your determination he gave in. "Alright, that would be nice if you could hold me the door. It could be tricky to do that alone."

"Alright." You said nodding now a bit more reassuredly, that he at least accepted your not-so-great help.

So the two of you locked the apartment and went straight down the garage where the storage settled as well. Dennis gave you the key since he would have been too busy to open that up by himself. It didn't take long to find the bed since everything was in precise order. Your friend must have cleaned everything up here. After finding your object, it was time to somehow bring that up to your floor. First, of course, you wondered how, since the man lived like 6 floors above, but apparently, it turned out that it was far from such problem as it seemed at first. Dennis was way stronger than he looked at actually, and could lift the object up with light movement on the first try. You quickly went to the door and kept it open until he passed you by with the bed in his hands. You could examine his upper body from a close distance and his tight muscles could even be seen through his dark flannel shirt. You swallowed nervously. Was he always this muscular? Or maybe you just didn't notice it? Then another silly thought came into your mind... That when he captured you, he made you unconscious. So if you woke up on a bed in the basement, in meant that he must have brought you there in his hands. The imagination of him carrying you in the bridal style made your heart squeeze in excitement... Even if the circumstances weren't the most bright and family-friendly.

Proving his actual strength, it actually didn't take long to carry the guest-bed up onto the 5th floor. He needed to pause for some seconds on the halfway on every floor, but every time you asked if you could help him, he kindly refused it. You guessed he just wanted to show off to you. Heh, strong guy with such persistence. Everything new that you learned about this man just made your attraction towards him even stronger.

You opened the wooden entrance and finally, your friend could put down the furniture, panting and huffing as sweat appeared on his temples. You gave him credit that even you could get sweaty just by going up and down on these stupid stairs. Gosh, you wished this old building had an elevator.

"Thank you so much. And sorry for giving you some hard time." You nodded kindly with a smile, looking as he swept away the sweat with his orange napkin.

"It was nothing." he breathed out clearing his throat.

"Sure it was." You giggled and crossed your hands under your chest. "Maybe you should take a bath."

"Well, ladies first." He reached out his palm as a gentleman to let his girl forward.

"Alright, alright." you laughed and lifted both of your hands up as a giving in, but after turning away, an anxious thought went through your mind. "Oh, we must have made Dr. Fletcher worried. We should contact her about what happened." You said in a concerned voice as you turned back to face him again.

"Do you think it's a good idea?" He frowned uncertainly. "I mean maybe you should talk to her about this in person. You know, I think throwing everything at her in the middle of the night is not a great idea."

"Yeah, you're right... then just please could you write to her that everything is okay? And then I'll tell her everything tomorrow."

"Okay then." He said then you nodded at him as thanks and went to your bag crouching next to it to fish out your pajamas -which was basically a random white t-shirt and gray sweatpants- from there. "Oh, Sweetheart?"

"Yeah?" You quickly lifted up your head, but then both of you startled for a minute. Damn, you reacted so smoothly to his nickname like he would have called you like this for months. Blush rushed onto your cheeks as the two of you looked at each other in silence. You obviously surprised him as well.

"Uhm" he started while scratching nervously the back of his head. "I was just thinking about if you're hungry. We can eat some sandwich after you got cleaned."

"I'm fine, but you can eat." You shyly smiled at him.

"You sure about that? We couldn't even eat anything for dinner."

"No, it's fine" you shrugged, still with a smile on your face. "Yeah, gosh, you're just like Dr.Fletcher." you giggled as you stood up with your evening stuff in your hands. "I usually don't have dinner, so I'm okay."

"Alright then." Your friend sighed as a response. "But remember, we are just worried about you..."

"I know, and I'm grateful for that, thank you." You showed him a reassuring smile then left your friend in the living room.

You didn't plan an all-night-long relaxing in the bathtub, so instead of philosophizing things, you decided just to quickly clean yourself and get out. Which, finally for once, seemed to work. It didn't take too long maybe to 15 minutes to finish showering and even brushing your teeth as well. And to be honest, this was a great accomplishment for you. When you lived with the asshole, you always used the bathroom as a thinking place. Though that might made you stay under the shower too, that you felt your body always so dirty, that you didn't feel like leaving the shower until you got perfectly cleaned.

Even though you could never feel this in the end. 

At least not until now.

Stepping out of the bathroom, now freshly and clean, you find Dennis sitting in front of the computer with a sandwich in his left hand. He was just about to turn off the device when you appeared behind him.

"Did you already write her?" You said while putting your hand on his shoulder. The sudden voice and touch made him jump a bit but after he turned towards you, his surprised expression quickly softened.

"Yeah, I've just sent an e-mail writing her not to worry about you because you're with me."

"Oh my god, what can she think about us after this" you started giggling with a facepalm.

"What? Why?" Your friend asked a bit confusedly.

"No, it's just... she was super hyped about this date too, and now that she knows that I'm staying here, I can't even think what she can be imagining about us from now on."

"Well, we can always make her imagination happen." he said in a charming voice while seductively leaned on his chair.

"S-Shut up." You laughed at him with a playful push on his arm.

"Anyway," he started laughing as well "I'm going to take a shower now until you can prepare to sleep. You can use my bed."

Your eyes widened "What? No way, I'm your guest so that I should be sleeping on the worse bed."

"You're my guest, so I'm the one who chooses where you will sleep, and I want you to sleep in my bed." He grinned at you like someone who already knew they are going to win a game.

"Gosh, alright." You responded hesitantly with a sigh, but then you smiled back at him.

This man...

You comfortably lied down on his double-bed, covering yourself up until your neck. Actually you were quite cold, maybe because of the wind outside, but anyway, it felt nice to have something warm wrapping around you. Turning onto your side, you stared blankly out of the curtained window, even if you didn't see anything but darkness from here. But then, as the minutes passed slowly, you found your eyelids heavy as well and let yourself slip into the comfortable dark word. 

________________________________

[[ Woods. Daylight. Hunting. 

Everything normal just like every time you've been here.

Animals. Steak. Tent.

The same chop-house. The same daily plan that the two people around you were discussing.

You got up and went out to your camp leaving the others behind.

Noone's there.

Opening up the same old backpack. Searching for the familiar object.

Nothing's there.

You went back to the others. Still talking like they didn't realize you were away.

Plate. Beer. Knife.

Still nowhere what you want. 

Then suddenly. It was there. Next to uncle John.

Stepping next to him, you took it.

The shotgun.

Confused looking. Blind questions. Dead expression.

There was only one plan.

K i l l . ]]

 

Heavily panting, feeling yourself like burning from inside, you slam open your eyes. You almost jumped as you saw a silhouette next to you but it was just your friend who was sitting next to you with growing worry in his eyes. With a shaky swallow, you tried to calm your painfully racing heart down.

"Hey.." he said quietly, while you could clearly hear how concerned he was just by hearing his voice.

"H-Hey" you answered weakly, not knowing what to say.

"Are you okay? I mean.. I didn't want to weak you up, but I thought maybe I should."

"Y-Yeah" you started shakily "I just had a nightmare... What time is it? Did I wake you up?" You asked as you leaned to your shoulder to lift up your upper body. This was when you noticed that tears were flowing down on your face, wettening your clothes and the pillow under your head.

"It's about 2 am, and.. you were talking in sleep.." he answered in a nearly whispering voice.

"Oh..." you let it out as the realization hit you. "I-I'm sorry, I didn't-" your voice was weak and trembling as more tears started gathering in your eyes.

"Hey, it's okay, everything is okay." He cut you off while his hands reached your back and gently embraced you, giving you a protecting cover. You leaned against his chest and grabbed the back of his shirt as you started sobbing in a dying voice. Feeling his arms around you was reassuring and not soon later the trembling stopped and you were just breathing quietly to his shirt. He didn't say anything until he was sure that you calmed down.

Damn, you wished to never let him go.

"Did you dream about your uncle?" He said finally after a bit of hesitation. You kept being silent, but you nodded as an answer. This made him frown, for a minute. Probably he was hesitating about asking you for details. He was surely curious, but at the same time, he didn't want to make your mood worse than it was now. "Do you want to talk about it?"

You shook your head. "Later." The word left your mouth. It was not the right time. You didn't want to start some random deep conversation about that asshole in the middle of the night. You were tired, you knew he was tired as well, so instead of making a hard time for everyone, you just chose the easier way and kept your silence.

"Alright." He responded quietly while caressing your shoulder.

Then deep silence settled upon you again. Both of you wanted to say something to the others, but neither of you did anything. 

"Uhm Dennis" You started, breaking the stillness around the two of you.

"Yeah?"

"C-Could you stay here? For the rest of the night?" Your voice was shaky again, not from the sadness, but from the kind of excitement that you were feeling deep inside. He looked at you, but you just kept staring his shirt as your blood run to your face. Such a fortunate, that it was pitch dark in the room.

"Yeah, sure." He said after a minute of silence. You didn't see him, but you knew he was smiling just by hearing the tone of his voice. 

And this made you real happy too.

So instead of moving apart, he covered himself with the blanket that you now were sharing with him, then with a gentle motion, he pulled you close to him. Laying his arms around you, you moved your head to his chest and closed your eyes. His racing heartbeats could be heard in the deep silence. You grinned into his shirt, honestly not knowing whose heart was pounding faster at this sacred moment. But, to be fair, you didn't care. You just knew only one thing.

That you wouldn't have exchanged this moment for anything in the world.

With these little things, he could make you so happy that it almost hurt. But you didn't mind it. If you had to feel this pain just to be with him, you wanted to do it. For him.

 

"Goodnight, Dennis."

"Goodnight, Sweetheart."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> //Hey guys~☆
> 
> Another chapter finished, a kind of.. chill chapter with some emotional roller-coaster as it should be~☆ Anyway, thank you for your amazing support and unbreakable patience! I know that lot of you wait for the same moment (me too lol) but these two lovebirds still have to fight against the struggles that life makes for them~♡ *innocent shrug*
> 
> Stay tuned until the next one~ Love you!!//


	27. Chapter 27

Feeling the warm ray of the morning sun on you face made you slowly open your eyes. What time it was: morning or even midday, you actually didn't know. Nah, you didn't care. You didn't feel any tiredness only laziness as you lied on your side, palms under your head. After falling asleep between Dennis's hands, the night passed away quickly without any terrifying nightmares. And you were more than grateful for this. To be honest, it made you wonder whether this could get rid of the sleepless nights that had been haunting you until now.

Getting rid of them.. with him.

With a great inhale, you shushed away these embarrassing thoughts now that you felt your face getting warmer. You heard something from the other side where your friend had been lying yesterday, so with a slow turn, you decided to check what he was doing. As soon as you turned around, you saw him, sitting on the side of the bed messing with something half naked.

Your lips curled up into a smile to his sight "Good morning" you said in a soft voice as you looked his bare back in ecstasize.

Gosh, he was gorgeous.

Jumping to your voice, he glanced at you in surprise. "Oh, didn' see ya here, Hun'" Then with a rushing movement he grabbed a pink tank top from the drawer and quickly put it on.

...W h a t.

Your eyes widened as you squeezed the blanket around your shoulders sheepishly. This was not Dennis, not-so-surprisedly, and actually, you could swear that you've never met this individual before. The tone and accent of -probably- hers was strange to you and to be honest it had an anxious feeling settled down in your whole core.

"W-Who are you?" Your lips let out the question shakily and defensively. You didn't know why but you had a bad feeling about this.

"Didn' we meet already? My name's Jade Hun'." She answered in an excited emphasis. You parted your lips to respond, but before any voice could have left your mouth, she hopped onto the bed crossing arms behind her head. "I talked with ya Goof. Can't believe ya don' remember.'" She moved her eyes onto you suddenly thoughtfully. "Ya must have been shocked tho. We all were. Shocked 'bout the monster an' the possible danger."

You looked at her confusedly "You were here? Sorry, I can't really recall anything."

She chuckled complacently "It wasn' too hard to guess. I was there, convicin' ya to calm down. But it's fine, no worries."

"I see..." you whispered out then started biting your lips with slow thinking. "By the way" she looked at you curiously "How is that you're here? I thought Dennis is in charge now.."

"...He is" Looking back to the ceiling, she started impassively after a bit of hesitation. "Not that he would 'ave talked with anyone about this... Ain't we had any discussions, he just decided to do so." Turning around her eyes displeasedly, she continued "An' he just thinks he can do anythin'! God I hate that guy!" She sighed frustratedly but then now with a much calmer expression, she massaged the back of her neck. "Anyway I wanna ask ya for somethin'."

You frowned in surprise "What?"

"It ain't really special... more like a reminder." She shrugged "I came here 'cuz Barry asked me to do so. He wasn't in the mood y'know. To drag the attention to 'im unnecessarily."

"Barry? Wha-.. oh." You whispered out realizing what she meant actually.

"You remember don't ya? You have a task Hun, never forget it."

"Yeah... Yeah, I know." Your voice was weak as you felt your stomach twist in regret. You really, really didn't want to do it. To spy after Dennis, hoping that you find any evidence against him. But an anxious feeling deep inside told you that maybe Barry was right.

She didn't react to your answer first, but after a bit of silence, she leaned closer with examining look on her face. You swallowed heavily, not know the purpose of her action exactly. Though, right after it, she started grinning widely "Oh I know what's going on! Y'all both are lovebirds, ain't y'all?! That's why you're here now! Huh knew it, yer face is all red now!" She giggled loudly while leaning to her arm on the bed. You startled to her words, feeling the heat coming up to your face. "And so? Tell me everythin' girl! Did you two-"

"No!" You cut her off immediately jumping up from your side. Geez, this personality... "We didn't do anything.." you forced a calm tone to your voice. She was excited and hyperactive, and no thanks, you didn't want any of her attitude to stick with you. And you thought Hedwig was the hyperactive one before...

"Alright, guessin' that you're now not in the mood either. I ain't here to mock you anyway." She innocently embraced one leg up on the bed. "Also.." suddenly her tone became serious for once. "Barry said he couldn't have told ya everythin' he wanted to."

Frowning, you looked down onto the sheets thinking deeply. Then suddenly the realization hit you. "Yeah, now that you say it, Dennis came back before he could have finished his sentence..."

"Aw yep. So, what he wanted to say is like... aaa let's just say it's a lil' hint."

"Hint?" you raised your eyebrow confusedly. "For what?"

"For findin' out what he's plannin' ya dummy." Then she paused with a deep sigh and released her knee. "Look. We dunno anythin' only that he and The Horde are on somethin'. Somethin' Real big! An' guess what, Dennis ain't making this easy. He locked one folder on the computer with some bullshit password, and we can't find it out what it is. But you girl, oooh you can do it."

"Do what? I-I don't understand.." you stuttered sheepishly. Why were they all so afraid of Dennis? The upcoming possibilities scared you as well.

She turned around her eyes displeasedly and moved her pointing finger to her temple. "Don' act like you're stupid, 'cuz I know you ain't that. You're clever, and exactly know what we all want from you. Find the password, or make 'im show it himself. Then go to Dr. Fletcher and tell her everythin'!"

You shook your head in rejection "I c-can't... I can't seduce anyone to make something that I want." your voice became broken from the load of information she commanded.

She frowned in disbelief. "Damn, are you really that naive? Or selfish? What are you thinkin'?? guess somethin' like that, 'cuz you just say this since you're totally fallen for him!" She was totally furiously. "This whole crap ain't just about y'all two! Maybe you should think about someone else too for now?! It might become somethin' really messed up shit if you don' do anythin'! Got it?!"

Her ranting startled you in fear. Wow, she was scary, might even scarier than Patricia. You could imagine her jumping onto you in anger in every minute. Though, before she could do that you tremblingly nodded. "A-Alright. I'm sorry.."

Seeing your reaction, she paused too, now with a way calmer.. maybe even regretted expression on her face "I didn' want to scare ya.. Hope it didn' look like this."

"No, it's fine" you cut her off. "I just... You're right. It's not just about me."

"Anyway, if ya need some help, you can count on me anytime, girl." Her smile was actually more reassuring than you thought.

"Thank you" you smiled back, which made her expression soften.

"Always Hun." She hopped up from the bed, grinning at you "Gotta go now. Feelin' the mockin' in my head now." She said, curling her pointing finger at her temple as she went to the wardrobe, and took out a pink cardigan and a blue farmer. After that, she walked to the door and waved at you before she left.

And, you were alone now, left with your mixed feelings once again. Your chest hurt because of the storm that kept playing in your mind. Gosh, what should you do...?

You sat out to the side of the bed with a heavy sigh. Gross tears appeared in your eyes as you kept staring the floor in front of your feet. You knew what you had to do. You knew it well.

Your heart just didn't want to accept it.

_____________________________________

You needed some time to calm down. After all that Jade said upset you in many ways. You just really, really didn't want to accept this whole thing. But since you wanted to clear your mind, you decided to do something finally instead of just sitting and crying in that room cluelessly. So after around 10 minutes, you put up your clothes and stepped out into the living room. While opening a door, a pleasant scent crawled up into your nose. Someone was cooking. Well.. 'someone'. It wasn't too hard to guess.

Soft Eastern music was being played on the radio as your friend was standing at the counter, still in those pink clothes from your previous conversation. A silly thought told you not to approach them. Why though, you didn't exactly know, but this anxious feeling kept haunting you as you were slowly stepping towards the kitchen. A faded suspicion started growing in your stomach. According to your knowledge, there was only one individual who fit in the current circumstances. But to be honest, you hope that you were wrong.

As you passed by the dining table, a little note caught your eyes. Since curiosity grew upon you, after a quick movement you glanced there, and read it. 'Don't bother her.' was written on it. You frowned at first but then realized what this really meant. So this was one of the ways they were communicating with each other. By notes... Making them whenever they wanted to leave a message for each other. Clever, you had to admit.

As you just wanted to move away from the table, with a clumsy step, you accidentally kicked one chair making a loud noise let out from scratching the wooden floor. Goosebumps appeared on your skin, as you swallowed not moving awaxly your host who almost jumped in place, then quickly turned away towards you.

"I-I'm sorry, it was an accident." You stuttered seeing the dangerous object in their hands.

"Oh, you scared me, Sweetheart!" The voice was familiar. Too familiar... It was sure that now you were facing Patricia by just hearing her voice. "I'm actually in the middle of making some lunch for us. Would you like to join?" She smiled at you softly.

You didn't really know (or maybe dare) what to react, so instead, you just nodded without a sound.

"Good! Come here, beside me, come!" The curl on her lips widened as she warmly asked you to go closer. Hesitantly though, but you walked next to her, looking at her with equal curiosity and caution. "I would have liked to spend some time with you anyway." She hummed softly while started cutting the vegetables in front of her.

She was friendly, way too friendly. And this scared you actually. Yeah, sure, the two of you had already 'buried the hatchet' you might say, but her friendliness was still too suspicious. "With me?" you said after a heavy swallow. You had to admit, that you were pretty bad when it came to hiding your fear.

"Of course, Silly!" she chuckled "Since you're special to Dennis, I want to get to know you too Darling. He surely sees something in you that we don't notice."

You raised your eyebrows "You think so?"

The woman looked at you, then started giggling again. "I'm sure of it. Dennis was always such a great observer anyway. He knows what he's doing and I trust him. So if he wants to choose you because of some reason, then I'll accept it."

Putting your hand on the counter, your eyes moved towards the floor, looking at it thoughtfully. "He must be important to you too."

She paused for a second, but then nodded. "He is." her tone was soft and calm as her knife sliced through another tomato on the cutting board. Then, after a bit hesitation, she decided to continue "I'm pretty sure you know some things about Kevin, and the fact, that Dennis was the first who came to the Light. Without him, I don't want to imagine what Kevin's mother would have done. And what Kevin would have done on his own..." Much to your surprise, you could hear out the sadness from her sentence. Since, she was just like everyone else, she had feelings too. Even if she had never shown them to you before. "I appeared much later. As far as I know, Dennis had been supporting Kevin for 8 years by then. Some of us had also awakened, but he was always in charge. Because he was the one who Kevin trusted by all his heart, and could turn towards when something bad happened."

The woman stopped, so deep silence settled upon the two of you. After a short pause though, you decided to break this stillness. "Why did you tell me all this?" you frowned confusedly, feeling your heart pounding in your throat. Her story made your whole body shiver. But it was not because of fear.. more like astonishment.

She looked at you, then started smiling. "You know Darling, something was bugging me since the moment that our ceremony failed. You had the chance to run away. To arrest us while trying to forget everything. But instead, you chose to stay with us. Why?"

Always this question...

"...I don't know." you answered after a bit of silence. "When I accepted Dennis' deal, about staying with him for a week, I felt so lost, I couldn't imagine my future. Do you know the feeling when you feel like that you don't have any place in the world, and it would be better to just disappear? I wanted to give a purpose to myself to live for."

"I know Darling, I know well. Well, not exactly me, but Kevin. Everyone knows that there are ups and downs in a teenager's life, but he was way radical in his case. There were times that we couldn't let him be in charge because he wanted to commit suicide and simply finish everything." She closed her eyes and bit her lower lip. These thoughts made her upset, you could see it.

You had questions but didn't know if they were appropriate enough. "But he could overcome his depression, right?"

After a deep sigh, she opened her eyes again "Yes, after moving out, he slowly became better and better. Although it was always difficult for him to accept us, but this was life. It was his life."

"As I saw he couldn't really accept you the time when I met him either." the words left your mouth after a heavy swallow.

"It's because.. he can't understand the purpose of Dennis' and my attitude. Therefore he can't accept this existence anymore. He chooses death instead of purgatory."

"But..-" You wanted to disagree, but she cut you off.

"There is no but." She said, darkening her tone for a quick moment, but right after it, her voice became gentle again. "We don't ask much from you. Only that please try to understand us. We have reasons for doing what we are doing."

You pushed your lips together, thinking deeply about the words she has just said. "Alright." you let out these words, looking into Patricia's eyes with a gulp in your throat.

She gave you a bittersweet smile. "Thank yo-"

"Alright," this time you were the one who intervened the other. "Then I'll show you the right way. That your way of thinking is wrong. I don't want to push you away nor punish you. I want to help. Because I care about you. Not just about Dennis or Kevin or Patricia... no, I care about every one of you."

To your answer, she first startled, but then the bitter curl on her lips widened. "Even just to think that you're able to do this... you are truly... an interesting girl."

Now with unbroken determination, you also smiled at her. "Deal?"

She bit her lower lip looking down to the unfinished vegetables. What she could think in her mind, you didn't know. She had always been mystic and would always be, you knew that.

Only her answer was clear to you.

.  
"We will see."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> //Hey guys~☆
> 
> First thing first, thank you for 100 followers! I don't exactly know the benefits of following me, but I hope you'll enjoy being my followers~♡
> 
> Now going back to the story... SO... um this chapter wasn't really... action filled, sorry about that. Somehow this calm atmosphere cried out for more chill chapters. *innocent shrug*
> 
> BUT finally, I could show Jade to you! Those who follow me from the very beginning (Are there anyone tho? lol) then they remember that I managed to mistake Jade with Patricia lol. I thought first, that Jade was a kind old grandma with some deep psycho thoughts lololol. Yeah... Now I realized that nope, our Jade is nothing like that lololol Anyway I hope she's not too irritating for you guys~☆
> 
> That's it for now, see you in the next one! Love you!~♡
> 
> ^sorry for the late and weird scheduled update, I fell asleep while I was revising and didn't want to wait a whole day to upload! :'D//


	28. Chapter 28

"Oh dear!"

Dr. Fletcher gasped, dropping her fork in shock.

The loud hitting of the cutlery to the Chinese plate made you jump. The three of you had been in the therapist's apartment, having dinner. Today's afternoon passed pretty quickly with firstly Patricia since after the dinner she let you do anything. These times you missed Hedwig because he never missed any chance to play with you when he could, and you didn't mind his presence... To be honest, you were even grateful to him for considering you as a friend...

Anyway, you made yourself busy during the afternoon by watching a movie on your phone and taking a nap. Later, you'd been woken up by Dennis, saying that the old lady wanted the two of you to go over for dinner. Since you had no other plans -well, no plans at all- you easily went in the idea of the meeting.

And now you were here, sitting at the dining table behind some fresh and hot fried chicken. You've just told some things about your past and what recently just happened to your inviter.

"It's okay, we're over it, well... over the hardest part." You sheepishly smiled at her, but she just shook her head.

"No, it's not okay, Dear. You've been through so much. I should have noticed..."

"No, no it went exactly as I wanted." You refused with also shaking your head. "I didn't want anyone to know about this-."

"But as a therapist, I should have known about this." She cut you off with a frown "This is my job. I felt that something was not normal in the way you were behaving, but I had never thought that something like this happened to you..." she sighed frustratedly, then, like some deep realization hit her, the therapist widening her eyes, she lifted her palm to her mouth."I must have invaded your private zone with those inappropriate question! I'm sorry Darling, I didn't mean to-."

"It's totally okay, really. But thank you so much for your worry." Your voice was unsure and weak, as you kept smiling uncomfortably to the woman. You liked her very much, but sometimes she was just too much. Looking at your friend, you desperately asked for help.

Your friend though, he just kept eating that portion of food in front of him. He was quiet and didn't even look up from his plate, but you could notice from his expression, that actually he was forcing back his laughter. It was clear, that he enjoyed this conversation of the two of you way too much.

The old lady might have also noticed this because the next question of hers was directed especially towards him. "Dennis do you have something to say?"

Your partner's eyes widened as he almost choked in surprise by swallowing badly the food he was chewing. With some hard coughs, he looked at the therapist, confusedly. "What?? What do you mean?"

"Did you know about this? And just hid the truth from me?" She crossed her arms in an interrogating voice.

"Don't be crazy Dr. Fletcher, of course, I didn't know it either. She said this to me yesterday after the police caught her uncle..." then after a sigh, his tone softened. "By the way, I'm on her side. If she needs something, I'm here to help."

"Thank you, Dennis. Really." You said, smiling at him. You were grateful to him, more than you could express it because he was truly there when you really needed it. Since the moment that crazy ceremony was over, you could count on him whatever happened.

To your comment, he just smiled back gently as an accept.

Both of your answer the therapist let out a dissatisfied sigh. "And what is going to happen now?"

You swallowed to her question nervously. "I-I don't know. The police said that my uncle is under pre-trial detention while they're searching for evidence. After that? I don't know... they might call one of my distant relatives. but to be honest, I don't want to go with them. They live in Cincinnati and never even tried to visit me since my dad passed away. They didn't care, so I won't care either." Your tone quickly became dark and listless that both of them looked at each other like they wanted to get the answer this way.

"But Darling, you have to get a roof over your head." The woman answered with growing worry.

"I know.. but..." you sighed trying to swallow your gathering tears. "They didn't care about me. Like at all. They didn't even come to the funeral because they were 'busy'. What can I expect from them if they behaved like that? I'm 19 and they might say I can get by on my own..." A rambling tear wandered down on your cheeks. They were just looking at you, looking at your miserable self-thinking hard what to do.

You felt just so ridiculous.

"I-I just don't want to bother any of you.." you sobbed as you used your sleeves to swept the upcoming tears away.

"You're not a burden-"

"I am!" You intervened the therapist with another sob. "Even if it's just making you worry all the time. You would never say it out loudly, but I know I turned everything upside-down just by coming here!" You accidentally raised your voice which made goosebumps for not just the others, but for you as well. After saying it, you quickly got for your mouth, covering it with your palm. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to-"

"It's okay." Answered the woman immediately. Her tone was surprisingly calm and quiet. She surely was used to conversations like this with her clients. "It's okay if you feel like this. Everyone has ups and downs, and I can understand if you're being tired of acting strong always. You need a place where you feel safe. And you need someone who you can trust and count on."

Dennis slowly turned his eyes towards the woman. He must have felt it. He felt, that she was talking about the two of you. And maybe she was right. Maybe he could heal you.

No...

Maybe the two of you could heal each other.

"I told you this before, but you can stay with me." He waited for the reply, but since you didn't answer anything, he continued. "Also, I still have 2 days yet."

You lifted up your head and looked at him confusedly. "What?"

"Did you really think I forgot it?" He grinned at you "This week is still not over, and I told you I'll be here to help whatever it is about."

You involuntarily started giggling "You're right. I can always leave anyway."

"I hope you will not though." His grin widened like he knew he won. He really did though.

"What are you two talking about?" Dr. Fletcher raised her brows questionable as she was trying to understand your sign language.

"It's just-" Your friend started, but then a sudden noise made him stop. Everyone looked at the source of the sharp noise.

It was a phone's ringing.

Dr. Fletcher went to her table, where the little object was buzzing and she quickly picked it up. You looked at the guy asking him silently what was happening but he just shrugged confusedly. So the two of you just followed the therapist and tried to read from her gestures.

"What? Really?!" The woman exclaimed which made you jump in your place. "Alright. Thank you so much for telling me. Bye." And she hung it up.

"What happened?" You asked her shyly as she came back to you frustratedly.

"There's no time, let's go." She rushed to the door and unlocked it. Both of you got up with high confusion.

"Dr. Fletcher, where are we going?" Dennis asked as he grabbed your hand while coming closer to the front door. You lightly squeezed it as a reassurance more to you than to him. Your heart started racing for this sudden tension.

"To my neighbor."

"What?" He snorted as both of you startled to her answer.

"Don't ask me now, I'll explain it later." She shushed him and went outside, waving to you as a sign to go along.

Since there was nothing else you could do, you two followed her out of her apartment. She didn't go far away though, after stepping out to the stairway she had a quick turn to the right and pushed the ring of the next-door. She seemed really upset, as she pushed impatiently the little object until an old woman opened the front door.

"What are you doing Karen?!" She exclaimed, seeing the therapist outside but she cut her off immediately.

"I need your help, Margaret. Please let us in we need to use the television." She asked her almost begging which made the other woman surprised.

"Alright, I was watching it anyway. which one?"

"The California News." She said stepping into the living room.

"Oh okay, I'm on that now-" she started but after seeing the two of you following the therapist, she gasped in shock. "They're.. the girl. Is this that girl?" She quickly turned to the other woman who was already in front of the tv.

Your stomach suddenly squeezed to her question. "What?" You asked shakily with a frown.

"Come here!" Dr. Fletcher waved to you in order to join her, so after some quick steps, you were already next to her, standing behind the sofa. Your eyes widened after seeing yourself in the little electronic box.

[-after 10 days the young girl was found in a local restaurant where she admitted to the police she ran away on her own from her molesting uncle. With her and the guy she has been with, the police officers caught the man and took it under pre-trial detention. The police are still searching for evidence so that the judge can decide the judicial punishment which can be estimated even until 15 years...]

"N-No... This is bad." You whispered out quietly not looking away from the channel which continued with another news. "This is really bad.." your voice weakened by every word you let out. To your luck the sofa was directly in front of you, so by grabbing it, you could keep your balance. This shock made you weak.

Somehow... you felt totally vulnerable now.

The others looked at you mixing confusion and worry. You were staring the floor, forcing back both of your tears and trembling.

"Hey..." Dennis softly asked as he came closer to you. To reassure you, he put a hand on your shoulder but this was when he noticed your whole body was shaking. You didn't say anything though, just stood there like some mannequin.

"Can I offer you something that could make her calm down?" Margaret asked cautiously from the therapist as she kept the distance from the three of you.

Your friend leaned closer to your ear so that he could repeat the ask from the woman. "Do you need something, Sweetheart?"

"I.. want to leave, Dennis.." you forced it out while a drop of tear started flowing down on your chin. "I want to leave now.."

First, he didn't know what to answer, but then with a nod, he accepted your decision and gently grabbed your shaky arm to pull you closer to him. As soon as you felt his flannel's material on your cheek, you embraced him and just buried your face into his shirt like a little kid who wanted to hide from big, scary strangers. He started gently caressing the middle of your back as he looked at the therapist "Then we'll get going. And we'll work out something."

"Alright, write me if you need help." She smiled at you as a reassurance, then after he slipped his hand around your waist to hold you, the two of you went slowly to the front door. You didn't, but your partner looked back and nodded as a goodbye to the others.

"Alright, let's go, Sweetheart." He whispered which your agreeing hum followed before both of you stepped out of the apartment.

____________________________________

You fell onto the bed like a bag of potatoes.

15 minutes later you were already at Dennis' home, and right after your arrival, the only thing you felt was tiredness. You just wanted to escape from all the problems. This seemed to work before, so why not try it again?

Well anyway, you've been lying there in deep silence like a dead man, trying to just escape into the darkness. You closed your eyes and balanced your breaths which still felt like a razor in your lungs and throat.

You felt so weak... everything hurt...

But why..?

Suddenly a freezing touch of a hand appeared on your shoulder that made your whole body shiver. Turning around in a second, you noticed that it was just your friend on the side of the furniture.

"Are you okay?" He asked quietly.

"I.." you started but something made you pause: the fact that you had to stop lying to everyone. Those empty answers when you said 'I'm fine, don't worry', were anything else but lies which made you suffocate from inside. Of course, you were not fine... You have never been. At least since the day when everything changed. Since you had been forced to participate in your uncle's sick game...

You looked up into your friend's eyes where you could read down all his worried thoughts that were mixing in his mind right now. So instead, you gave back a question to him. "How long I've been making you worried?"

He widened his eyes and paused for a second but then continued this forced question game "Today?"

"Does it matter?" The words left your eyes like dry letters in the autumn wind. Quick, light and weak they were.

He sighed as he was thinking about something before his eyes met yours again. "Well, my answer depends on it."

To his respond, you closed your lips, looking away silently. His short answer, these words, like knives cut into your soul. Your whole core hurt. It was your fault, you made him worry since the very beginning, you knew that. "I'm sorry.." you whispered out finally. "I'm so sorry, I didn't-"

"Shhh Sweetheart" he hushed you as he pulled you up into a warm embrace. You leaned into his arms as the tears that you hated so much appeared in your eyes again. You hated to cry. You hated it because it made you vulnerable which was the last thing you wanted. You hated it from the bottom of your heart, so instead, you just hid everything behind the silent mask you had put in front of your face for years.

Although, even just the presence of Dennis could reassure you. You felt that with him, you could open just a bit more...

You couldn't stop repeating that you were sorry as he was stroking your shoulders with high patience. Soon this hurtful feeling disappeared from your core, so as your crying sounds quietened as well.

And this was all thanks to him.

Then, everything went into complete silence as you started just staring the carpet on the floor. Your partner didn't ask nor say anything, only calmly waited for you for becoming steady again.

"You know.." you started in a weak voice that made your friend look at you. "I might just take every little thing seriously..." you stopped for a second as if you wanted him to disagree, but he was still silent. You had a great inhale before continuing "But it hurt me so much to see that news. I.. I have been working on a camouflage I could hide behind any time I wanted to. And this crappy news just completely ruined it."

"A camouflage?" He asked back cautiously, looking softly at the curls of your hair.

"Yeah, like a mask. I've never dared to tell my past to anyone, so instead, I isolated myself, showing that I'm just some antisocial nerd who hated life." He wanted to interrupt, yet he waited for the end of the story instead. "But.. all the years that I spent for making this mask are worthless. Now everyone knows what happened and it just terrifies me, Dennis..." Before you could've ended your sentence, your tears were already flowing, making your voice shaky and insecure. It made him choosing wisely his words again.

"But what exactly makes you feel like this?"

"The fact itself scares me more than anything else..." you sobbed it out then you swept away the tears from your red and wet cheeks. "I know I'm pitiful, I'm sorry.."

"There's nothing you should apologize for." He said squeezing the embrace around you a big more as a reassurance. "How can be sure that they'll judge you after this?"

"I pushed away everyone on my own and now they'll know why. It's not that they would hate me, I don't care about that. It's more like.. they would feel sorry for me. Suddenly everyone might want to be my friend just because knowing the story of what I've been through. They wouldn't want me. Just feel pity for me. And I don't want this. They would never understand my feelings!" You added emphasis, letting your tears flow like little streams now. Your lungs hurt again, but telling everything to Dennis made you lighter from inside. It felt nice to tell these things to finally someone.

You really, really needed this.

"It's okay to feel like this. You have never wanted to drag the attention towards you, yet you had no choice." Then he stopped for a minute, thinking about something. You looked at him with those red, tired eyes of yours, feeling that he wanted to say something else. "I'm sorry." He said finally, now with a sad tone in his voice. "Without me, things have never turned out like this." 

You didn't say anything at first, but then a smile appeared on your lips. "You're right, things have never turned out like this. I was captured... by my uncle's squeeze. For years. Terrifying years. If you hadn't come along, I'd be still there, without enough courage to face him..." then, you looked into his eyes to make your message more important. "In real, you saved me, Dennis." 

Your partner couldn't answer, he couldn't say anything. But even if he had wanted to, you would have made him silent again by closing his lips with yours. You reached up to his shoulders and embraced them softly with your arms in order to lock yourself to him for a longer time. No, you didn't want to leave him. When you were with him like this, you felt like the time stopped moving. And this is what you really needed as well. 

Though, he moved away, just a little bit so that your lips could separate. You looked at him questioningly but he just smiled at you, softly with deep passion in his eyes. "I would do anything to my Princess." 

Your lips curled into a grin as you felt blush appearing on your cheeks.

"Anything?"

 

.

"Anything."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> //Hey Guys!!~☆
> 
> First thing first, I'm really sorry for the delay! I was on family holiday and we didn't have proper wifi there, so I couldn't upload anything... But I came back home today, so here you are, fresh 3000+ words chapter just for you!~☆ (I really should control myself with the words lol)
> 
> ANYWAY This chapter... didn't quite turned out as I wanted to (tho I don't even really know what I wanted) but hopefully it's still ok!
> 
> I really need to think in what order I want to make the plot because I was stuck a little bit now, but hopefully, I'll get through it soon!
> 
> ALSO, we're almost at 100,000 all view W H A T, H O W??? You guys are A M A Z I N G!!! Thank you SO much!!♡//


	29. Chapter 29

Grey, checked, cotton shirt welcomed you as you tiredly opened your eyes. Its material caressed your cheeks as it was pumping up then slowly falling down again and again. It was lazy and perfectly well timed that you could be sure your partner was still asleep. Your arm kindly embraced his cloth around his ribs as his ones were softly covering you as a protecting shield. Maybe it truly was, since you felt less tired finally. It was not the best since you still had nightmares, but it was getting better. Maybe he could help you even involuntarily to heal. You only needed time... Thinking about that, you wondered how much time has passed. You wanted to check it, but your phone was too far away that you decided not break this idyllic picture of the two of you.

You didn't mind being with him like this anyway. Not at all.

Letting out a lazy sigh, you snuggled up to him just a bit more with a widening smile on your face. You tried to ignore your racing heart, but it just kept pounding loudly in your chest that you were afraid it would have woken him up. He was so soft and comfortable and even just his aura made you feel safe.

Then he suddenly moved a bit with a greater inhale. You just kept lying still, looking at him quietly. Your eyes wandered from his shirt to face, waiting for any changes. And actually you didn't have to wait for long: after letting out a sigh his embrace around you became tighter as he would have never wanted to let you go. Like a little kid who embraced their teddy bear, hoping that the monsters in the darkness would disappear. It was not dark, and he was not a little kid, but the reference was still alive.

Either way, you were nothing against to have him a bit closer.

"Uaaaaagh" he let out the next sigh this time loudly with slowly opening his eyes. His regard wandered towards you which you could also notice.

"Good morning Dennis." You whispered out in a quiet, soft tone having your eyes met in the already bright morning light.

For a moment he didn't move like he was thinking about something. But then a wide curl formed onto his lips. From the things he said, you immediately froze in place.

"Ahhhhw Dennis was right when he said that girls are way softer than us!"

Hearing his voice again, you almost jumped in surprise. "H-Hedwig??" You stuttered witlessly quickly pulling yourself out of his embrace.

Seeing your reaction he growled at you in an offended tone. "Why are you moving away? Am I smelly or something?" He looked at his clothes sniffing at them confusedly.

"No nothing like that." You answered quickly as a reassurance "I just... didn't expect you to be here now..."

"Mmm, you wanted to have Dennis here right?" Turning on his stomach, he leaned on his elbow with a wide grin. "You two are really cute together I like it! I told you, that you would be a great couple!"

"I don't even know if we ARE a couple at all..." You let it out frustratedly, which brought the boy's attention.

"Do you want to trick me again?" Hedwig frowned, not looking away "I can see it! I mean not you two... but Dennis! He's different now, and can't talk about anything but you et cetera! So... he must love you, I know it!"

He was enthusiastic, oh boy, he was. You wished you could have this attitude. Not that you didn't want this to happen, but something just dragged you back. You couldn't help but have doubts in you. Just in general. Anyway, you just wished everything was this easy. "Nghh, anyway," you started in hope to divert the topic because you felt on your face that this conversation became a bit too uncomfortable. "Why is that you're here now and not Dennis?"

His eyes widened in a second, but then his regular smile appeared on his face again. "I wanted to play with you!" 

"Oh" you let it out in surprise. To be honest, you couldn't really add anything more to your reaction. Of course, he just wanted to play, why else would he want to use the light?

"It's really boring in the Chair room, especially now, that Dennis is not with us most of the time... " He sighed, looking away unamusedly. "So because I have the power to come to the Light anyway, I'm here!" Turning his head back to you, he showed out his teeth in a wide grin. This last sentence made you frown which also caught his attention. "What is this looking? Are you not happy to see me?"

"No, nothing like that!" You raised up your palm as a refuse. "But is it okay to do this? Won't the others be angry at you?"

"I don't care." He shrugged "I don't think Patricia cares, and Dennis doesn't mind either because he's working only at night."

"Wait what did you just say?" your eyelashes widened confusedly. "What about Dennis?"

He flinched to your question like he knew what he has just done was bad. "N-Nothing! You heard nothing, right? Because I didn't say anything!" 

Knowing Hedwig, you were sure that if you continue this 'question game' he would switch away. So instead, you just changed the topic. "By the way Hedwig." Hearing his name, he looked up into your eyes. "What do you want to play?"

A little sparkle appeared in his eyes to your offer. "Will you play with me?!" he exclaimed excitedly.

You gave him a reassured smile as an answer. "Yeah, sure, it's boring to just sit here alone." 

After a little discussion about what to play, the two of you decided to draw. You were wondering why he wanted to draw always... maybe because of Barry, or simply because there was nothing really to do here -or in that basement back then. He was a creative boy, you became sure in it, because he brought his older drawings to you, telling how much he likes them. And proud, you thought, according to the bright grin he was showing during the little 'exhibition' of his.

Most of the drawings had a picture of Dennis, Patricia and himself as a... family? Well kind of. He surely knew that biologically they could never be a family, but in a way, he must have looked at the other two as father and mother figures in his life. This somehow made you funny feelings in you. In a way, you could understand him since after your father's died, you lost your family as well. His emptiness was there, even if he'd never showed it.

He was sketching a boyish silhouette this time. You just wondered who this could be now. "Who is this?" You questioned regarding the half-made sketch curiously.

He looked up from the piece of art with a grin on his face "Guess!"

"Alright." you smiled, then looking back at the drawing. "But I can guess it out right?"

"Of course, it won't that hard!" he nodded enthusiastically, then continued doodling.

"Ok, so it's a boy, right? I kid." you started and he nodded. This really wasn't that hard so far. Seeing him making a little bag stylish stuff on the paper, another question raised in you. "Is he a student?" 

"Yes!" He encouraged you with still having that smile on his face.

"So he's attending school, right?"

"Mmm no." he shook his head, which made your eyebrows frown.

"No? But you said he's a student." You questioned again this time in a doubting tone.

"Yes, but no in the same time." he confirmed, not looking up from the paper.

"So then... Is he a private student?" You raised your brows again, waiting for his answer.

"No" he shook his head again, which made you become more confused. 

You couldn't really think about anything else, so you just threw one more question again. "But is he studying?"

This made him stop for a minute to think. But then he shrugged before his response. "Sometimes."

"Why just sometimes?" You crossed your arms thoughtfully, not moving your eyes again from him.

He still didn't look up from his work, so you couldn't really read from his expression. Only from his tone, which was still listless. "I don't know, the others are too busy for help him."

What he just said started those little gears in your mind. The picture was getting together. Also, maybe he wanted to give you hints with this. So the best tactic was to approach him as cautiously as possible. "And Hedwig, does this boy want to go to school?" 

He stopped again, thinking about something. But then he just shook his head again. "Nah, he wouldn't like it. But.." he suddenly quietened his tone, signifying his doubt, but now you wanted to carry on this conversation a bit more.

"But? He might still want to go there?"

"Not for studying. He doesn't care about that." He shrugged. "But he could make friends there. Because at home he's always bored and alone, et cetera..."

"Oh..." You let it out quietly. Apparently, there was nothing else you could react with. Chewing your lower lip, a funny thought appeared in the back of your mind. "Hedwig?" You decided to question it carefully.

"Yeah?" 

"Is this kid.. happy?"

"He is." The boy said lightly without any hesitation. "He was lonely before, but now he has a friend so he's not lonely anymore!" 

You felt something. Deep inside, a feeling that made your lungs heavy like a great rock. Again, there was no answer that could have been a proper reaction. So instead of making up something, you just leaned to him to give a long, warm hug to your friend. He got surprised to the sudden embrace but didn't say anything. It was his turn to go completely silent. He might haven't even been that hurt than you thought. Maybe between the two of you, the one who got this bad feeling during the conversation was actually you. 

"By the way..." He started quietly quite shyly giving you a weak smile "You finally didn't guess anything haha."

"Are we still playing?" You chuckled, releasing him. After he got free, he settled back to the ground still having that sheepish smile he had. "I will be here for you Hedwig, you won't be alone anymore." His eyes widened to your sweet, warm answer. He didn't expect you to say anything like this actually. So he just kept being quiet with that goofy smile on his face. "Sorry I didn't want to make embarrassed." You giggled, now grinning at him brightly.

"N-No it's fine." He said sheepishly with a shrug. Then like something just appeared in his mind, with a questioning brow he looked at you with childish curiosity. "Are YOU a student?"

"Me?" You pointed at yourself being taken aback. 

"I thought you were a student when Dennis chose you.." he started, still having a quiet voice "But even now, you're not going to school either."

His simple statement made you stop for a minute. "Oh, that's..." you looked down onto the floor frowning. You opened your mouth, but no sound came out from that. Your mind was too busy processing the current things. 

The boy was regarding you, still waiting for an answer. "Or are you skipping school? You don't like studying either?" His tone sounded so innocent, you wished you could have told him all the things you'd been feeling right now. But you couldn't... You didn't want to bother him unnecessarily, besides, he was just a little kid, he wouldn't have understood your struggle anyway.

"No, it's just... I needed some time Hedwig." you could finally make up some almost acceptable response, but it just made him raise his brows.

"For what?"

Gosh, you could feel, he really didn't know anything. He was just simply curious.

"For.. living in the daily basis like I always did." You shrugged with a smile just to reassure him. Honestly, you wished you would finish this conversation now, but as it seemed, he didn't want to.

"But then you'll go back to school, right?" 

You stopped again, hardly thinking about what he just asked. Honestly? You didn't really want to. Of course, you knew you had to though... it was obvious. Also, you had to do something with your life anyway. You couldn't just stay here, hoping for something to happen...

"Yeah, of course." You showed the same well made smile to him saying your answer in the most natural way as possible. You were thankful, that Hedwig was always easy to trick if you had to.

Gosh, you were horrible sometimes. 

"Good!" He grinned brightly "Then will you help me if I need some help later?"

You gave him a surprised look. "You would like to study alone?"

"Yes, I want to show Patricia, and Dennis how smart I am! Patricia already bought me some books, but I didn't really want to do them... But now if I have someone to help me, I'll be clever!" His enthusiastic tone made your smile brighten up as well. You couldn't help, but let out a pleasant chuckle.

"Alright, you can turn to me anytime." 

A little spark appeared in his eyes to your answer, as he kept grinning widely to you. "Thanks, you're the best!!" 

For a moment, you flattered, but a warm feeling flowed through your body. This boy, just simply his presence made you happy. It truly felt like, that for once, you could be honestly useful for someone. For someone who didn't want to literally use you, but just be thankful for your help. And the missing of this feeling really has been making you empty until now.

"No Hedwig, YOU are the best."

___________________________________

The boy stuck with you through the whole day, which was totally fine since you didn't have anything to do anyway. Speaking of that, you should pick up some hobby, otherwise, it'll be a boring hell waiting for someone to spend the day with... Or maybe you should just simply go to school instead...

What Hedwig said stuck in your mind. You couldn't get rid of the thought of going to school again, even if your whole body wanted to refuse it. It was because you knew that you HAD to. There was no choice of going to school or not. It was an obligation which you exactly knew. Besides, you felt just so guilty lying here lazily when you had tasks to do. So you decided to tell Dennis, that yes, you wanted to go back even if it seemed the worst idea ever.

Speaking of the Devil, your little friend said goodbye to you and let the light be taken away from his hands. You were sitting on the side of the double bed, looking at the man who was pushing his palm to his forehead like he was having a headache. After seeing up from this position and noticing you, his smile became soft and gentle. 

"Hello Sweetheart." He greeted you with a kiss on your forehead after coming closer to your place. He was definitely Dennis again, you felt it. And so his little gesture made your whole face lit up just a bit.

"Hi Dennis, good to see you back." you greeted him back with a sheepish curve on your lips. 

He smiled back at you, but then looked around, analyzing the environment around the two of you. "Hedwig was here right? You were drawing all day?" His eyes met yours in the middle of his sentence. He didn't seem to be angry or worried, only casual.

"Well not all day." you giggled "But yeah he was here. We had a great time doodling some stuff." 

"Good." He sighed still having that smile on his face. "It's good to have a day when finally everything's working just as it planned."

"You knew that?" You raised up your eyebrows curiously. "I thought you don't know when an alter changes."

"Well, not always..." he started while going to the night table to pick up his glasses. "Originally Barry had the power to use the Light as much as they want. And even though now it's in Hedwig's hands, I'm sure Barry still knows some tricks to use it sometimes. That's why I'm always worried when I'm not in the Light, that he or someone else on his side is in charge." Moving his hand to your shoulder, he pulled you closer "Hedwig always lets me use the Light since he respects me and knows that I can use it properly, but this time he asked me to let him come up to the Light before."

"He asked you?" You grinned at him softly.

"It seems like he didn't want to make me worry unnecessarily. And to be honest I'm quite grateful for that. Although I can notice him if he's the only one who's missing in the little circle of us."

"Hey, at least he's a good boy." You joked, leaning your head onto his shoulder.

"Yeah, he was, this time." He grinned as an accepting, caressing your upper arm gently.

"By the way.." you swallowed heavily as your thoughts were wandering about the struggle again. "I uhh.." you started, but nothing else really left your mouth. Your stomach twisted to the sudden inner tension, taking away all your voice. Gosh, your body really wanted do disagree with you.

"Yeah?" he asked, looking at you questioningly.

Taking a deep breath, you made the run for another try. "I.. want to go back to school."

Moving away just a bit from you, he regarded your eyes in disbelief. "Are you sure about that?"

"Yeah, I was thinking about that.." you said in a quiet voice. "And I think it would be the best for everyone if I would just go back."

"But are you fine with that? I mean.. your mental state.. according to what you said yesterday, maybe it would be wiser just to stay here a bit more."

"Thank you for thinking about me, Dennis..." You answered now in a firmer tone. "But I decided already. I want to make yourself useful. I don't want to be a bother here, and you'll see, I'll show you what I can really do."

First, your partner didn't say anything but deeply kept looking into your eyes. He wanted to convince you from the other way, but seeing your hidden determination, made him reassure a bit more. "If that's what you really wants Sweetheart... I think I shouldn't say 'no' to you." He gave you a smile, caressing your cheek softly. "But just know that if you need anything, I'll be here for you."

"Thank you." You smiled back, embracing him warmly. He let you slide into his arms, locking you to himself just to feel your warmth a bit more. You didn't mind it, so you just leaned your cheek to his collarbone with a great inhale. "Your support really means a lot to me."

"You can count on me, anytime." He kissed the top of your head softly, as he murmured into your hair. "Also," he added stroking one curl "I'll go with you in the morning. So that I can be sure you'll be okay. Is it fine for you?" You nodded with a hum with closed eyes, as you were enjoying his care. Every one of his touches felt hot you could melt into his hands. The way he was behaving with you, it melted your whole as well. 

And you wanted to feel this again.

And again..

And again...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> //Hey Guys!~☆
> 
> I'm sorry for this delay again, this time I don't really have any excuse, just my own laziness... But anyway, my school year is over, so this means hopefully I can make chapters more frequently!~☆ (If my laziness won't take over me again nghh Imsorry.)
> 
> Anyway does somebody know why was I listening some epic battle music when I was writing this chapter?? Idk I'm weird. 
> 
> Either way, I'm really thankful for your support! Like.. really! Like I can't even know how to express it! Because, you know, this is what keeps me rollin'~ haha Thank you so much!♡♡//


	30. Chapter 30

The new morning has risen up again, showing its effect on the world through the curtains of Dennis' bedroom. Birds from the outside world were singing a sweet tune, making your heart sink into a warm unknown embrace. The gentle tickling of the light made your face warm up, signifying you to wake up finally.

It was such a beautiful day outside. 

Perfect for the 'first day of the school'.

Well, at least for someone else.

Not for you.

As soon as you opened your eyes, the realization hit you and left its anxious mark deep in your stomach. Wait... So now you need to get up and go to school? For.. real? That's not how it should be.. you didn't sign up any of this! Alright, saying out loudly yesterday your quick decision meant it, but... s t i l l. It was one thing to imagine yourself going back, but on the other hand, living it was way different.

Deep inside, you didn't want to go back there...

"Sweetheart..?"

You flinched to the nickname, turning around on the double bed to meet the eyes of the voice's source. Your partner was lying next to you, leaning onto his elbow to make himself stable.

"Dennis?" You asked sheepishly as you regarded him from head to toe... well at least what it could be seen over the blanket. According to that checked, gray shirt, he was wearing, the guy was still in his pajamas, just like you. "Did something happen?" your eyes moved to his ones shyly, waiting for any kind of answer.

But instead, he just shook his head, with a smile. "No, nothing really. Just.. it's time for school. I promised you, to accompany you, so we can't miss it, Sweetheart."

"Oh yeah, you're right..." You let it out not really amusedly, which, of course, caught your friend's eyes as well.

"Are you alright?" he commented on a serious tone, keeping the eye contact between the two of you. "You look paler than before."

You heavily swallowed, thinking hard what to say to him. Why was this so difficult to tell? You just didn't want to go to school, that's all. Yet, you felt like breaking a promise by telling him these feeling. Gosh... "...I'm fine." you answered finally, having a great lump in your stomach. Really? Do you want to lie to him again? What's the point?

To your response, his lips curled into a bittersweet smile "I can see you're not doing well. You can tell me everything, I hope you know that."

You parted your lips but no proper answer could come in. He was right, you could tell him everything, then why the hell didn't you say simply the truth? After this thought crossing your mind, you finally "I-I just" you started, stuttering while you tried to avoid his eye contact like a child who knew she was guilty. "I've changed my mind.."

He raised up his eyebrows questioningly. "What do you mean?"

Again, you swallowed down a heavy lump in your throat still preferring staring the blanket to your partner. "I-I don't want to school... I want to stay h-here instead..." your voice weakened by every single word you said until it completely disappeared.

Dennis didn't answer anything at first, but you could see from the corner of your eye that his expression softened. "Are you nervous because of the others there?" He asked finally, while he slowly moved his hand towards you to carefully caress your cheek. You kept silent, but to his touch, you lifted up your eyes to meet his ones. This was when you noticed he was actually smiling to you as a reassurance. "It's okay to feel this." he widened his smile but paused for a second like he was thinking about something. "But you know" he continued with a inhale "yesterday when I looked into your eyes, I didn't see anything there but pure determination. On the outside, I saw a strong, spiritful woman with full of willpower. Where is she now?"

"Disappeared, I guess." you looked down again as you answered to him quietly.

For a little bit, he didn't answer to your pessimistic claim, but in the silence with full of tense, you could feel his eyes on your skin just the same as before. "Sweetheart" he started, which made you regard him once again. "If it's your choice, then for me this is totally fine. You are the one who makes these decisions, not me. So if this is what you really want, then just do it, I'll support you either way."

"God.." you let it out finally, cracking up into bittersweet tears. "Now look what've you done.." you said reaching his shoulders to find a good spot for your upcoming tears. He was just about to say something but before that, you were already cutting him off. "..Thank you, for... everything." You sobbed out, smiling widely into his shirt even if he couldn't see it.

This made your partner startled for a moment, but then he also let out a reassured sigh. "You scared me for a minute with this weird way of thankfulness."

"Shut up" you shushed him, still having that dumb grin on your face as your embrace around him got a bit stronger. His pleasant original scent was tickling your nose, making your heart race. You liked his smell, it could calm you anytime - or making you feel hot if that was the case. "But I really mean what I said, so... Really, thank you for being here.." You continued quietly in a soft tone. Then after a big inhale, you let him go as you looked back to the guy with a smile. "Anyway, it's time for school. We should get prepared." 

He raised his brow in question but not letting down the curve on his lips. "So you decided?"

"Yeah, my future won't make itself bright" you smirked, "Well, at least not pitch black."

"That's the right attitude!" He started laughing as he swept away the blanket to get out from the bed.

He looked energetic today, you could be sure. Maybe he was more excited for you to go to school than you? Well anyway, that unpleasant lump in your stomach developed into a slight excitement on your side as well. Maybe he's right, and this won't be as horrible as you thought first.

You just had to give it another chance. 

__________________________________

The two of you could get prepared relatively quickly, so after 15 minutes Dennis was already locking down the apartment's door with you on his side. Then after leaving the old building, you both started walking on the way to your high-school. Your partner, after seeing the remained worry in your eyes, offered a hand as a reassurance, so you continued your little journey together, hands by hands. The institution was not that far away, it took around 10 minutes to get there by feet, according to Dennis. And really, after a 10-minute walking, you could see the familiar walls behind the next corner. 

You heavily swallowed, as you made your steps slower. "So we're here, huh?" 

His eyes moved towards you with total calm. "Maybe you wouldn't have been walking a bit more?"

You lifted up your regard to him so that you could notice the gentle smile on his lips. This made you smile as well "Yeah, I wouldn't have minded it." Then the curl weakened on your lips until it totally disappeared. "I guess it's time for me to go then."

Your partner stared into your eyes confusedly, where he could only see doubt again. It felt different again, to stand here, having your school less than 200 meters away while you were forced to say goodbye to someone who meant a lot to you. Felt like some kind of drama right? It's not like you would never see him again. But still, your core was aching just to the simple thought. You were ridiculous once again. 

"That's right." He answered finally, still trying to examine your feelings through those blank eyes you had. "Are you okay?"

Great, now he was worrying again.

"Yeah.." you nodded with a bittersweet smile sweeping your eyes not to let out any upcoming tears. "Guess I became too sentimental for a moment."

"Hey, it's okay, don't be afraid to show your feelings to me." He let out a soft smile still not moving away his sweet regard from you. "If something makes your heart heavy, then you can always tell me." 

"Thank you.." you responded quietly, feeling your stomach fill up with warm, pleasant feeling. He could make you so happy. Then, to lift up the mood, you poked with your head to the direction of the school, having a smile on your face. "Even just seeing my school can make me weak, God." you claimed with a giggle.

He started grinning like someone who just had a flashback about something really funny. Then, before you could react to that properly, he was already moving his palm to your face leaning down, to make the distance disappear between the two of you. Having your heart racing in your chest, you leaned into his touch, eagerly waiting for what happens. But he stopped, inches from your face, still having that clever grin showing to you. "Then let me give you some of my strength..." He whispered to your lips which made you whole lower part weak as you closed your eyes, ready to let you into the upcoming pleasure. 

His lips felt warm and sweet, giving your stomach butterflies as your hands embraced his body, asking him to offer you his protected arms. And he did, his other hand slowly moved to the middle of your back to close the distance between the two of you. And you? You didn't want to let him go once again. You wanted to stay here, forget every task, every responsibility just to be with him. You felt like you could reach everything on his side. You felt confident.

You felt safe.

It most likely didn't take that long as you lived it. Before you could realize, he was away again, leaving you with your hungry desire for more, but both of you knew that this had to happen. It was school time after all.

"If I don't pay attention we might be stuck here forever." he stated it with a sweet laughter, which would have made you smile if that dumb grin on your face hadn't been still there.

After realizing your possible outside expression, you cleared your throat to put up an actual smile. "You're right" you giggled out, still looking into his eyes. "Now that I have way stronger than before, I should really go."

"It was a pleasure to help you, M'lady." His lips widened into a naughty grin, that was enough to feel your cheeks getting hot again.

Oh well, this guy always knew what to say.

___________________________________

As soon as you stepped into the familiar institution, fortunately, the time started rushing, helping you through this emotional roller coaster. Your biggest enemy was still behind you, following and imitating everything you did: the anxiety. Of course, it appeared as soon as you stepped here. Of course, it appeared as soon as you had to face with your past again. Of course, it appeared when you became alone once again...

Anxiety was a bitch.

It exactly knew when you were the most vulnerable, to make everything dark and doubtful around you. To take away the good and nice in every possible way. Just like it did now as well. You felt judging eyes on your skin not even during the breaks but even during class too. The girl who was usually sitting next to you was absent today, so at least one less person tried to bother you with their intention. That dark way of thinking that had been in your mind before, it came back to haunt you again. 

Fortunately, nobody asked you anything. Actually, nobody said a word to you. It felt like a complete ignorance that was flowing around the whole class. They might have been intimidated or felt guilt for their past behavior. Well, not that you did otherwise. You didn't want to make any friends, you didn't have to make any bonds with others. You were scared of people, not to mention, that your uncle commanded you not to try going away with some two-faced people. It's kind of hilarious that you ended up with a 24-faced guy at the end.

Anyway, the other possibility was that some of the teachers watched the evening news and saw you there, so they asked the students not to bring up this kind of topic to you. You didn't know and you didn't care actually. Not that you wanted to talk with anyone here. You survived 5 years in this place without having someone who you could rely on, and this won't change in this last one.

So many bad memories were related to these years, that your body sent you danger signals just by the same 4 walls around you. And it was not enough. Everywhere you went made you flashback for all the horrible years of your silent suffering. Somehow, now that you were free from your uncle, it hurt way more than before. And this changed your mind again.

You wanted to escape from here.

During your 3rd break, those gears in your mind were thinking hard about the possibilities. These 5 years that you spent here at least taught you one important lesson, how to sneak out of this place. You hated to be here as much as you hated to be at home, so your main goal was always walking in the city once you got out. And you had several techniques for that. The most common were imitating some random illness to the school nurse so that you had an easy way out to the freedom. Though not many students tried to use her to their plans. Not that she was hard to trick, more like.. it seemed you were the most desperate one from those hundreds who came here to turn to the school nurse most of your times. 

Either way, you knew what to do. Just go to that woman, pretend to be half-dead, and sneak out as soon as possible. Didn't seem hard right?

Well, it wasn't. 

And you were too lazy to make up something else anyway.

____________________________________

Thanks to your previous experience, less than 20 minutes later, you were already out of the building, on the way to Dennis' home. It was easier than you remembered actually. A pretended nausea with pale, blank regards always worked. You were a better actress than your friend was for sure. 

His old apartment appeared in your sights as you turned in the corner of the streets. It was still the same, invariant as always, but somehow your stomach squeezed as the distance slowly disappeared between you and that. Those little gears in your mind were working hard, making you think about the possible outcomes of your upcoming meeting with your partner. One part of you was expecting some scolding from him, because.. obviously you skipped school, leaving back your responsibility just because of your current breakdown. Still, your another part was hoping for reassurance which at first seemed absurd, but you could never know.

He was always unpredictable but in a good way. 

After climbing up the mountain height stairway, you arrived at his front door. Lifting up your fist, you stopped, staring blankly forward the timber entrance. The insecurity deep inside was whispering you to just go away, and 3 hours later come back with a fake smile on your face. It would be easier, wouldn't be? You wouldn't have to face any accusing questions, any doubtful regards which all were referring your broken promise. To be honest, you deserved all... Then why were you afraid? You were nothing else than a little kid, who knew she was guilty, but still was afraid of the upcoming punishments... Anyway, you were mature enough to face your fear. It was no question to do it or not.

You had to.

Taking a deep breath, you knocked on the door, waiting for an answer.

No answer.

You frowned. "What? Dennis are you there?" left the question your mouth as your eyes were still eagerly waiting for any movement.

No answer.

Was he not at home? Then all your inner fight was totally unnecessarily?! You sighed. Not that you could have done anything else... Should you just wait here then? Obviously, you couldn't go back to school now. It was stressful to get out, and you didn't want your efforts to go to waste... Suddenly the thought of Dr. Fletcher appeared in your mind. Well, you could have gone to her too... no, you shushed these thoughts away quickly. If you went to her, she would organize a spontaneous therapy just for you, and you didn't want that. You didn't want questions, only understanding silence. 

Then, there was no other choice but wait.

Sitting down in the doorway, you embraced your knees with both of your arms, to make a not too comfortable pillow. It was fine though since hopefully, you didn't have to wait here for too long. 

Hopefully...

__________________________________

"W-What are you doing here?"

Flinching to the sudden voice, you quickly lifted up your head to the source. You partner was there, with widened, confused eyes, half pair of his leg still on the stairs. Your stomach twisted in nerves to his sight. "I-I" you stuttered, but he cut you already in a worried tone.

"Are you okay? Why are you not at school?" 

"Y-Yeah, I am." you let out finally, trying to stand up in your place, but your body seemed to have slower reaction to your current black out. How long have you been sleeping? Your partner, seeing your struggle with the balance, he offered you a hand which you accept sheepishly. "Uhm Dennis..?" you started quietly, which made your friend's eyes meet with yours. "What's the time?" you cracked up into a weak smile, hoping to lift up the mood.

"Almost 2 pm." He answered immediately. "I wanted to come home then go for you, but.. it seems it's already irrelevant." then a frown appeared above his still confused regard. "Your school should have finished at 2pm, or maybe I'm wrong?" 

"No" you replied, looking away surprisedly. You've been sleeping here like 3 hours?? What the hell?? Thank god nobody else came across or you might have been in bigger trouble. Anyway, despite of this quick 'thought-wandering', you started thinking about some proper answer instead. "No, it's... uh.." you swallowed heavily, feeling a lump in your throat. You realized that lying was not an option anymore. Therefore you had no other choice but gathering all your strength for the sake of truth. "I sneaked out."

His expression softened, but the worried tone was still there "Sweetheart, this-"

"I know." you cut him off with a shaky inhale "I know I shouldn't have, but" your voice started trembling as your eyes were still staring forward, forcing back those tears that you hated the most in this word. "I-I couldn't take it anymore Dennis! I'm sorry, I tried but I just can't!" Finally, your tone broke, letting out your eager tears to leave your empty, doubtful eyes. 

"Shhh it's okay, it's okay." He quickly embraced you with his protecting arms, letting you sob into the flannel shirt he was wearing. "Don't get panicked, everything will be fine. If that's the case, we will find out something." His words were sweet and cautious at the same time like he was afraid of breaking you with any of his upcoming sentences. Even if what he was saying was actually calming and reassuring. And this is what you needed the most. "We will find out something together Sweetheart." He whispered his repeat, making it even more intimate and optimistic. "Are you with me?" He asked softly, not loosening his embrace around you, which made your heart race. You, for not knowing the perfect answer, just nodded without a word. His lips widened into a soft smile to your reaction. "Good-" he started, but suddenly a sharp ringing noise intervened both of you. Letting him away, you also lifted up your head especially that it appeared again. Then suddenly the realization hit you.

It was your phone. 

Groping your trousers for the loud gadget, you quickly find it and take it out to see who the heck was calling you. You eyebrows frowned as 'unknown' was writing onto the screen. You looked at Dennis, you could read from his eyes, that he was just as surprised as you, so you guessed that there was not really a choice. You lifted the mobile up to your ear, shakily telling your name to the other side asking them who was there.

The answer made you flinch though.

.  
.  
"This is Philadelphia police. If it's possible now, we may ask you to come to the police station. We would like to ask some questions, Miss."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> //Hey guys!~☆
> 
> #beforechapternote: SO I finally had the opportunity to watch the movie again, and hooo boi I'm still so in love with it!   
> I just.. can't even express it properly how much I adore this movie haha
> 
> So many different feelings are mixed in me, but the main is that I think I got my motivation back! (I didn't lose my motivation for the story, but for writing in general)) So let's dive into more things! ☆
> 
> So don't worry, we're getting there, everything is starting to form, and I really hope nobody lost their interest in these chill chapters.
> 
> #midworkchapternote: Writing the kiss scene while listening to emotional music is a b a d idea. I just killed myself. I'm sorry if this turned out maybe too honey-sweet OOC but it's the music's fault. 
> 
> #almostendchapternote: Writing sad emotional scene while listening to sad emotional music is a much w o r s e idea. I'm a wreck now.
> 
> What are these notes tho? lol Sorry, I got carried away now. Anyway just as always, thank you so much for your enormous support! I love you guys! ♡♡//


	31. Chapter 31

Your heavy heart followed through the whole interrogation in the police office. Of course, since the officers were interested in details, every kind of questions appeared during these tensed minutes: 'What exactly was the relation of the two of you?' 'Since when he started abusing you?' 'What happened after that your father passed away?' And much more. They didn't want to make this easy for you, that was sure. Well, obviously, they needed information, but still... you hoped not to recall all these bad memories once again.

They thanked you for your assistance and let you out of the building free - on the side of your friend. Dennis accompanied you through this, patiently waiting for your arrival in the waiting hall. You didn't ask him, but he did it anyway.. and you were thankful for this.

Anyway, you were out and were said that the investigation still had to continue, but they told you to wait until the judge will decide their final sentence upon Uncle John. To be honest, you couldn't wait for that moment... 

The moment when you could finally close down everything. 

The moment, when you finally became free from these haunting memories...

The two of you were walking on the bright streets, and for Dennis' suggestion, you head towards Dr. Fletcher's apartment. He wanted to solve the issue about your school and even if you first disagreed with him, he convinced you to talk with the therapist. At last, you lowered your flag, when the idea came in your mind that she could really help you in some cases. It was not that you didn't trust her... Only that deep inside you were afraid of her scolding words. You were not sure if there were any at all, but your anxiety never left you. 

"Dennis.." you started suddenly, looking down at the passing by paving stones in front of your shoes. 

Your friend's regard turned to you with curious eyes. "Hm?" 

"Are we going to have a talk with Dr. Fletcher now, right?" you asked, still not moving away your eyes from the street. 

"Yes, I already emailed her, and she said she could see us now." 

"I see." you commented quietly which made your friend frown.

"And?" He raised up his tone, saying you an invisible question mark. You finally lifted your head up, looking into his blue iris through his glasses, like you didn't understand his question. Seeing your reaction, he questioned you again. "I see? That's all?" he repeated, frowning in confusion. "What was the point of your question?"

You parted your lips, thinking hard about your answer, but instead, you only started awkwardly smiling at him "Nothing really, I just.. My mind was just wandering, that's all."

"Sweetheart.." he quietened his tone as he stopped, still looking at you with now worried eyes. 

You couldn't escape from his questioning eyes that could stab you deep inside, making your already rock-like squeezing heart feel even heavier. These eyes could always weaken you. You felt guilt for lying to him, which you've never really felt before. And this feeling tore you up inside. Especially, when you knew he didn't get tricked, since, of course, you were a bad actress when you had to act to him. He was worse, but you weren't good either. 

"I.." you started slowly, trying to look away, but his regard paralyzed you immediately. "I just.." you quietened your voice, letting out a heavy sigh with your guilty expression "I feel like I'm just a burden here, okay? I-I'm causing so many problems, and it just... feels bad for me."

"Hey..." he shushed you, taking your hand. "You are not any kind of burden. Don't think about yourself like this.." he commented with a genuine frown. Then, like he just realized something, his expression softened "Is it because of the interrogation, right? Did they ask you some questions that you feel now this way?" 

You raised up your eyebrows surprisedly, but then you returned looking down at the pavement rocks. You didn't answer, but he knew this was the case. You felt more down now, thanks to them. And he somehow could notice it right away.

"They must have been hard on you." He claimed with a deep sigh, but then he gave you a reassuring smile "You're not a burden. Not to me. Not to Dr. Fletcher. Not to anyone. So don't feel it like this."

"But I just stepped into your life, now asking you stuff that I didn't make any effort to get-" you snapped at him, with a broken voice. 

"I was the one who stepped into your life, don't forget it." his tone suddenly became serious, which made you silent. "Just because you ask, it doesn't mean it's a burden to me Sweetheart." he softened his voice seeing your taken aback reaction. "I have to compensate for everything horrible what I and the others did to my ask anyway."

"Oh... yeah." you let it, sounding more disappointed than you wanted it to be. "You're right, sorry, I was just being a bit too carried away." you answered, giving him a tiny smile.

He smiled at you as well "Let's go, Dr. Fletcher is waiting for us."

"Yeah let's go." you agreed, stepping forwards on his side with holding hands. 

That curl, however, on your lips changed, now showing how forced they were until now. You wanted to show him a genuine smile, but you just couldn't. Not while your mind didn't stop thinking about what your partner's said... 'Compensate'... All he's doing now is just because he's feeling guilty? So will this be over once the bet is over? After the two of you agreed in one week. And, now you had to face it, that it was supposed to finish this day. It was the last day.

So tonight everything will be over?

Your stomach pooled up with anxiety to this thought.

___________________________________

"I see your problem." said the old lady with a warm teamug in her hands. 

The three of you settled down again to the dining table for your little discussion. The topic about the police station was already finished, so now it was the turn of your next issue: school. You had no idea what her reaction would be, but actually, her calm reaction reassured you as well. Sometimes you tended to overthink tiny problems and make them gigantic, and this happened in this exact case too. 

"Do you have any idea?" Dennis asked on your side concernedly. 

"I don't exactly know yet, actually. Regarding her mental stability, it would be wiser to change school, even if it's her last year." She stated it in a serious tone. "Dear, what do you think?"

"I..." you inhaled, crossing your fingers on your own mug while your eyes kept staring the other one in the therapist's hand. "I only feel, that... I can't go back there. I just can't." you shook your head weakly. "I-I feel that my old memories can't let me unless I leave that place." You admitted, squeezing your embrace around the mug.

"I see.." she commented briefly like she was thinking about something. Until the woman was quiet, deep silence settled upon the three of you as well. Only the clock regular ticking could be heard. Your friend was as muted as you, even if you were actually interested in his opinion. Maybe he couldn't suggest anything. Or, maybe he just didn't care. Both of those could be reasons. "Alright." Dr. Fletcher said after a sigh, which made the rest of you moved your regards to her. She was looking at you firmly. "Usually, in this case, I could also suggest another possibility. Basically the same would happen which happened to Kevin."

"Why? What happened to him?" You asked a bit shyly, raising up your eyebrows.

"He had a very special private teacher." stated your partner as he set his glasses precisely.

"It's true that he was a special case." The woman continued "But in your case maybe it would be the best-"

"I'm sorry, but.." you cut her off suddenly, feeling that this conversation started to go in the wrong direction. "I'm perfectly okay with public high-school." lifting up your hand, you let out a worried smile.

"Are you sure about that?" the old lady frowned, still looking into your eyes. 

"I'm fine." You answered, hoping that this will be satisfying enough for them which was of course not.

The woman's eyes became more worried about your short response "But according to your mental state-"

"I said I'm fine!" You stated it out firmly and determined, maybe a bit too harshly. Now your mind suddenly recalled the similar conversation you had the other day... in which you said these exact words. You never change huh...? To this realization, your expression softened to speak on a much warmer voice now "I just.. don't want to make this even more difficult. Also, I don't think I could pay for a teacher anyway."

"I think I could refer you to have a subsidy from the state if that's the case." Shrugged Dr. Fletcher with now a bit more caution.

"That doesn't matter." You shook your head in refusion. "I don't want any private teacher. And I don't care about anything that relates to this. The easiest way is to get me another school as soon as possible." With a deep sigh, you turned to have one more ask from the woman. "Could you help me? You are a therapist and maybe.. this could be a perk or some sort."

"But Sweetheart-" started Dennis, but you intervened him again.

"No, I don't want you to have to take care of this issue. It would be problematic to you too especially after time."

He frowned "We've just talked about this-"

"I know!" You claimed firmly. "I know Dennis, but... I won't change my mind. Not now." You told him, forcing out a calm but firm attitude.

Hearing your determined statement the other two shared a look, deciding that they can't do anything with this. And they really couldn't. You decided, and this time you didn't want to loosen your grip about this. Maybe it was truly your stupid blind thought, but you decided to try to help both Dennis and all of the others. And you couldn't fulfill this by throwing more problems at them.

"If this is what you want.." started Dr.Fletcher after a minute of tensed silence. "I think I can refer you to another school pleading some medical reasons. Especially after they get to know the reason, so called your uncle's case, I'm sure they'll approve of your education."

Hearing this pleasant response, your expression quickly softened, even a grateful smile appeared under your cheeks. "Would you do this?" You asked now in a shaky voice. The nod of hers was more than satisfying. "T-Thank you so much. Really." You stuttered out, looking at the mug with the likely cold dark colored tea inside.

"There's no need to thank me yet" she giggled softly, giving you a reassuring smile "Let's wait until we truly find a school where you could attend to."

Turning your head toward your partner, you caught him smiling at you too. They stayed supportive even when you just turned both of them down. They were here for you when no one was. And you could count on them even in these hard times.

You couldn't be thankful enough to them.

____________________________________

Since Dr. Fletcher invited you to have dinner with her, it was already dark when you left her apartment. You wouldn't have minded if anxiety hadn't appeared on your side as well. You might have liked darkness for its protectiveness, but this bitch always decided to accompany you against your will. You couldn't really do anything against it. You could only wait until it let you go on its own.

This time it was not the case though.

It clearly wanted to ruin the idyll between you and your partner just by always leading your mind to the certain topic you wanted to avoid. The bet you were still having. The possible worrying outcomes felt like a halter around your neck. Of course, there was a chance that he wanted to continue this, but what if.. what if he was only so helpful because he couldn't let go his guilty thoughts. You assumed that without your anxiety these assumptions wouldn't even have come to your mind, but.. you couldn't fight back. It was still there, haunting you as always.

You had to ask him, right?

You had to clear everything.

Repeating the same technique which was successful before, you asked him to go to a park instead of his home saying, that you wanted to have some fresh air a bit more. He agreed easily, so you head towards the same park near to his place which was actually the same location that where you had been before. Such a coincidence, was it not?

He could definitely see that something was strange with you, but he decided not to ask it until you opened up. You were thankful for this little touch because this made you available to gather your thoughts until your destination. Many questions and answers were mixing in your head, although the real question was how could you approach this topic with the best caution.

You just... didn't want to lose him.

"So?" He asked immediately in a serious tone after the two of you sat down on a bench.

You looked at him, with a surprised swallow "So?" You repeated it like you didn't understand his reference.

To your response, he cracked up into a smile "I can see you're thinking about something. It's just obvious, you can't hide it. So what do you want to talk about?"

This didn't even take that long than you expected. He was too clear-sighted or you were just too bad at acting again. Maybe it was the latter.

"Well, I was just wondering about something.." you said it finally, moving your regard to a dark bush in the distance.

"Oh?" He hummed, crossing his arms as he leaned back to the wooden bench. You knew he eyes were still looking at you. You could feel them on your skin. "And about what?"

"About..." you quietened your voice with hoping to make it less shaky. "About the bet, we made one week ago."

For a moment, deep silence settled upon you, like he has just realized what you were talking about exactly. "Yeah, it was one week ago..." his approved as well thoughtfully, then he went silent again. You cautiously looked at him, waiting for his, answer, but he didn't say anything either for a while. He was only staring in front of himself deeply. You couldn't take anywhere this behavior of his. "So" he broke the stillness finally. "What is your idea?"

"What?" you flinched with a confused frown on your face. "W-What do you mean?" 

"Like.. What is your plan then? If it's... let's just say over?" Your friend asked, still having his arms crossed on his chest. He was munching his lower lip which showed you he must have been as nervous about this topic as you.

You didn't answer for a moment, thinking hard about what you could have responded. But.. nothing. Nothing helped you. "..I don't know..." You whispered out in the end, shaking your head pointlessly.

His regard came returned to you. "Then?" 

You frowned at him doubtfully. "Then?"

"Then what are we talking about Sweetheart?" he smiled at you still having high confusion in his eyes.

"I mean" you swallowed embarrassedly "You know.. It might be just me, but.." you looked away, feeling your cheeks suddenly turning red, "I think people may judge if a girl would live in the same apartment with a guy, you know.. just simply."

He narrowed his eyes like some thoughts came to his mind again. You were wondering whether he got your point. It took a lot of effort to say it out loud just like back when you had to ask him to get you some health supplies. It was not only embarrassing by itself, but you had to repeat yourself more to make him understand you. This was something you hoped that it will never happen again. Or at least now. 

"So..." he started again, which pulled you out of your private train of thought. "You said it would be weird, huh..." he said it like he wanted to prove his own thoughts. His tone became particularly dark in this one. "I can understand." Sighing deeply, he set his glasses with one hand. You followed any of his movement with high caution while your heart was pounding in your throat. "But what if... What if this girl wouldn't be with this guy without reason? What if they're actually together? The society would still judge them?" 

Your stomach twisted to his simple statement. "I don't know.. Probably not, though." you answered weakly, biting your lower lip nervously. "Nowadays it's normal for couples to live together."

"Yeah, that's right." He nodded, now with a bit more vitality. Then he stopped, and both of you went silent again. The only thing you could hear actually was your own racing heartbeats. "And tell me..." He broke the silence again with a risky question. "Do you think the girl would be willing to be the guy's girlfriend so that they could continue living together?"

You slowly looked up where his eyes were, that was when your regards met. He acted firmly and self-confident, but you could see the fear in his eyes. The fear of refuse. Although, instead your lips formed to a wide grin "I think she would love that actually." 

To your answer, his expression softened as well, now also showing you a hopeful smile "How can you be so sure?"

"I just.. feel it you know. Trust me." you giggled it out now much more relievedly, not breaking the eye contact with him. Then slowly, he started leaning towards you, and you didn't move. You knew exactly what was going to happen, and closing your eyes, you gave in your own desires. You missed his touch so much.

You always wanted more.

His lips gently touched upon yours, sinking you into their soft embrace. And reaching up to his neck, you let him do what he wanted. You let him have a dance with your tongue in your mouth while his hand carefully stroked down to the bottom of your back. And it felt... amazing. You felt hot and fired up by every one of his touches, even if you knew, that eventually, you had to stop. Your soul demanded more. Just more and more. And it hurt, but you had to lock away these feeling yet. Because, very deep in your core, you knew there was doubt hidden inside. You didn't want to ruin that thanks to the haunting memories. 

You had to know when it was time to stop.

With the slowness he came closer, he leaned away as well, leaving you to suffer in your own thirst. But you were thankful for that because you might not have been as strong as he was now. He was grinning adorably like a little child who has just got their present, and you couldn't take your eyes off from him. He was gorgeous, like a shining ray of light in the dark black sky. And the brief question he asked, made your stomach jump in childish excitement.

"Then, will you be my girlfriend?"

Your lips curled up to share his wide grin. So many feelings were swirling in your mind, but you swept away all for a minute, to concentrate on only one thing.

And so, with pounding heart and shaky breath, you said out the only one possible word you could think of in this sacred moment.

.

.  
"Yes."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> //Hey guys~☆
> 
> Ahh this chapter.. is cute? Idk at least I wanted to make it to that way lol. But yeah, not that fast, not that action filled.. tho the last part has at least some new info.
> 
> Anyway I can't really comment anything to this chapter but hopefully it'll speak for itself~☆
> 
> I can't wait for the next one tho! I'm excited lololol Hopefully you'll like it as well~☆
> 
> As always, thank you so much for your support, you are amazing and I love all of you so so so much!~♡//


	32. Chapter 32

From the moment the two of you decided to start a relationship, it felt like the time has started to rush as well. Almost 1 month were behind you, and you couldn't even notice it. As days after days passed, it seemed that slowly everything was getting together. You managed to attend your new high-school thanks to Dr. Fletcher and her reference letter she sent to the director, and also for talking with the current school's directress as your 'therapist'. Without her, you might not have been able to escape from there. 

Everything was slowly settling down into your habits. Dennis was always accompanied you to and back from school, not missing out any days. He was always there with high precision, waiting for you a little farther away from the entrance. You told him it was fine for you if he wouldn't come, but he kept being insistent next to his decision, so you just let him be. During that short time on his way home - well, Your way home - you always talked about the current day at school. Usually, it was boring and nothing really happened, but just seeing you finally calm down and feel secure in the new place, seemed to make him happy as well.

In the first days, you agreed with Dr. Fletcher to have a visit to her regularly, just as a.. checking. This quickly turned out to be a pleasant conversation or even a dinner with the woman, which none of you mind, at least not you for sure. Although, when you were at her apartment, something back in your mind bothered you. You didn't pay much attention to it, mostly because it was a weak anxious feeling deep inside. 

Soon, you figured out it must have been the sense of guilt that Barry caused you before. Every time you stepped into the building this weird sensation embraced around you, squeezing just slightly your heart to create doubt inside. Again and again, you heard Barry's words in your mind bout being cautious with Dennis since he was hiding something - at least according to him. You though, you didn't notice anything weird around him even spending several days with your friend - well, now boyfriend. You couldn't check him during classes, but when you were together, he never did anything that could have shaken you about your opinion.

Never. 

The two of you were getting on pretty well, by the way. You could notice he loved being around you, and of course, this feeling was mutual. You enjoyed every minute around Dennis who seemed like could help you fight with your anxiety as well. It was getting to slowly disappear from your everyday life... and this was thanks to him, you knew that. Sometimes the phantoms of the monster flashed in your mind, recalling the days back in the basement, but you tried to forget everything. You decided, to give him another chance and this was only possible if you left back anything that related to that place. Only Hedwig was the one who made up some sentences about the monster, but you quickly turned away the topic and brought up a brighter one into the conversation. It hurt a bit every time, but as a kid, you always forgave him without hesitation. He was too innocent to be angry at him anyway.

..Huh?!

You flinched awake, a dim noise from outside intervened your sleep. You were lying on your sides comfortably, as you looked around without actually moving. It was still dark, and quiet, only a soft, regular thumps could be heard in the room. It was almost inaudible.. but it was still there. With a slow sigh, you turned to your other side, to check your partner, but the only thing you found there was his carefully laid blanket and pillow being abandoned. You frowned tiredly, wondering what the time was if he was already awake. It was Sunday, and you didn't plan to go anywhere this time, so this left a big question mark above your head. 

You decided to check the time, but after reaching your device from the night table, it showed you only a black screen, not willing to turn on. Well, you might have forgotten to charge it again, this wouldn't happen to you for the first time. Anyway, it must have been around dawn, you guessed. Otherwise, it wouldn't have made any sense that he was awake already. 

Either way, you decided to look for him.

With a deep inhale, you lazily swept away the blanket upon you, so that you could make your way to sit up. Touching the cold wooden floor with your bare feet let a quick shiver rush through your spine. It was particularly cold outside.. though it was already November, so this shouldn't have been surprising. In the living room a dim light was reflecting back from the walls, your partner must have been using the computer. But why? Why at these early hours? 

You slowly took some steps towards the room, feeling as a lump in your stomach started growing, making a rising bad feeling pooling up there. You might have liked darkness before, but now it grew upon you again, making these anxious feelings break out from inside. Well, at least Dennis could always calm you down. You were happy for him again, to be here when you really needed it. A weak smile appeared on your lips, to his presence, seeing him working on his computer with great silence. Quietly, steps by steps, you approached him from behind, trying not to bother him what he was doing. You were wondering what he was doing this late. You wanted to know it... At least, until the moment when you could look onto the screen.

Which was filled up with photos of tied teenage girls.

This must have been from some deep web shit, you felt it. The sight horrified you, making you fall back in fear. To your bad luck, you accidentally bumped into the dining table, pushing it away with heavy noise. He flinched, and quickly turned his head to the source, noticing you in the darkness. His eyes couldn't be seen from this angle, his head's silhouette was the only thing that was shining from behind like a demonic antagonist from some movie. You felt paralyzed, just by looking at him, feeling your tears dripping down on your cheeks. No, this couldn't have been real. Just, couldn't! 

"Dennis?! What is this?!" You screamed out in a shaky voice. He didn't answer, but stood up, to slowly approach you without a word just like you did some moments ago. Your heart was painfully racing in your chest, suffocating you with its heavy beats. It hurt, but you couldn't move to do anything against it, or.. him. Like this was a hecking good idea -which was obviously not- you opened your mouth again "Dennis answer me, what the fuck were you doing?!" even if it seemed to be useless, repeating your question was the only thing you could force out from your lungs. 

"I have to.." he started, in a quiet, ominous voice that made your whole spine shiver "Cleanse the word from the I m p u r e s ." he whispered, clenching his teeth in suppressed hatred. Your whole body shook into his few spoken out words. "And you..." his lips brightened into a bloodcurdling smile as he started chuckling in front of you. "You will be the first one!"

"W-What?" you stuttered out, still being frozen in your place. 

"You Impures will learn that in this word you are not worth for anything!" he grabbed your shirt, letting out a terrifying laughter. Your head was spinning, as your mind was trying to understand what was happening. This was not the Dennis who you knew. This was not the Dennis who you liked and cared of! This was someone else!

"Stop it, Dennis!" You cried from the bottom of your lungs, yet almost nothing could come out. Everything got lost in this deadly atmosphere. "You said I'm Pure, so what are you doing?!"

"Don't lie to me, I know what you are!" he shouted back, tossing you down to the ground. He was strong, and you couldn't do anything to stop him. Desperate pants left your lips, letting your tears wash your sight away. "You may not leave this place! The monster is coming after you, and you won't be able to do anything against it!" He squeezed your throat with anger and watched as it was slowly suffocating you. Every one of his words echoed in your head painfully again and again and again.

"D-Dennis.." you exhaled weakly, forcing yourself to look into his eyes, but nothing else was there than two soulless regards.

Everything was turning into black...

Everything started loosing its sounds...

There was nothing else but soft embracing darkness.

"Dennis.."

"Den-"

...

Gasping for air, your eyes suddenly swung open, looking at the dark ceiling as heavy pants spread into the stillness. "Just a dream..." you whispered out shakily. Then, really slowly, you lifted up your hand to your throat, checking if everything was okay. Flinching to your own touch, you could be sure that yes, everything was where it should be. You let out a reassured sigh... This dream was literally horrifying. You were not this scared since.. the days in that place. You thought you got over it, but it seemed, that you didn't. These were the phantoms of Barry's warning speech? You guessed. Maybe they were hidden until now, and then suddenly they decided to break out. But why now... You turned your head to the side to see your partner's reassuring sight, but instead, your heart missed a beat to his empty place. You sat up in a split second worriedly, and that was when you saw a dim light softly reflecting in the living room's walls.

No, that's a nope, you were not playing this game!! 

You swallowed heavily and stayed frozen until you decided to check out this ominous light. You were scared, more like, terrified at this point, but you had to calm down yourself at this was only possible if you convinced yourself that this was not a stupid nightmare. You had to! With trembling movements, you slowly stood up, not looking away from the light's source which was the computer, with Dennis in front of it. You let in some great inhales just to somehow slow down your painful heart's pace. You felt so weak, even just one movement could make you collapse on the floor, but you gathered all your strength to move forwards. Everything hurt, your stomach, your chest, your head. It felt like a hellish rollercoaster. 

But you had to stay strong. 

Following the same method that you did in your dream with slow, silent steps you approached him, highly caring not to make any noise this time. Despite remembering those hellish silhouettes from the previous nightmare, your childish curiosity stayed strong. You wanted to know what he was doing. Two steps, then one more, you were already behind your partner, still being stealthy with eager eyes over to his work. No pictures this time, only solid block of sentences below one another. Nothing special, you guess. It didn't worth to be cautious.

After a deep inhale, you carefully parted your lips "Dennis?" left the question your mouth.

He flinched, then within a second, he turned his frightened eyes towards the sudden noise just to see you behind him. "F- Sweetheart, you scared me!" He stuttered out being taken aback, but then nervously set his glasses. "I didn't notice you. Since when were you here?"

"I'm sorry!" you answered quickly as you saw his fearful expression. Then, thinking quickly to your response, you scratched the back of your head sheepishly. "I-I didn't want to scare you or anything..."

His eyes were jumping to the different parts of your face, then he frowned as something just caught his attention. "Were you crying?"

Raising up your eyebrows confusedly, you lifted up your hand. "Did I?" Then you flinched as your fingertip touched a slight wet line on your cheeks. With a quick sweep, you cleaned the tear trails down nervously. "I-I just had a nightmare, so..." 

"Oh" he let it out, now having a more downhearted expression. Then suddenly, he patted his lap with a silent question to sit down. You did so, thus your face was inches away in a few seconds later. "Do you want to talk about it?" He asked quietly, not breaking your eye contact. 

You swallowed, thinking for a silly moment to tell him everything, but then you decided that it was not the right time. Besides.. having nightmares about your boyfriend being gone and obsessed just like before. It wasn't a good side in any relationship. This nightmare was destined to stay inside forever, you decided. So as an answer, you just shook your head in a refuse. "No, I just.. need someone to hug me, until I can calm down. " you whispered out, reaching to his shoulders, to embrace him tightly like this was the last time you could do that.

And he let you, without any word he accepted your touch, to provide you some peaceful minutes. And this was what you really needed now. Feeling that person's nearness, who meant so much to you.

"By the way.." You started, still in a quiet voice. "What are you doing this early.. or late.. or I don't know." you giggled to his shirt.

"Actually.." he responded after a short pause. "I was checking some jobs. You know, I decided to start over everything."

You moved away with questioning regard. "You? What about the others?"

Dennis shrugged, looking away with a casual smile. "They are fine with it. I'm in charge after all."

Something weird sounded in his tone, not to mention the way he said 'he's in charge' but you decided to sweep away every unnecessary suspiciousness of yours and just flow with the conversation. "And could you find something?"

"To be honest.." he widened his lips to a grin "I found one in the local shelter several days ago." you eyes widened to his answer in surprise, but he continued "And they needed a cleaner, so I applied to their job. And guess what?" he lifted up his eyebrows in a charming intention. "They said that I may go to have an 'interview' but they see potential in me! So basically this job is mine shall I say! "

The toothy grin he was showing to you made eyes fill up with shine "Are you serious? Oh my god Dennis this is amazing!" You jumped onto him to give another warm almost suffocating embrace, but you couldn't help only to feel excited and super happy for him. 

He started laughing lightly to your enthusiasm "I'm glad this cheered you up" he claimed with merry, as he softly caressed your back.

You moved a little further, still having that dumb grin on your face "Cheered me up? I'm so happy for you Dennis!" You exclaimed joyfully, then gave a quick kiss to his lips. 

And this was the moment when something clicked inside of you.

Something.. unexplainable. 

Like an imaginary burden just dropped down from your shoulders. 

You leaned for another kiss. Then one more. You didn't want to let him go this time. Your mind was thinking about the alert that Barry told you. It appeared in your mind once again. But you know what? Fuck it. Dennis was only searching for jobs, to make your life better. Because he cares. And not just about himself, but about you too. And this was the proof.

You decided.

Slowly, you separated your lips from his from that wet and passionate kiss you were into right now. "Can I ask you something?" You asked quietly, analyzing his current expression. The first thing you could see in his eyes was abandoned desire mixing with sudden confusion, but the latter quickly disappeared as he noticed the thirst in your iris. You were panting slightly at this point, but you gathered all your strength to make up the question that pressed your heart deep inside until now. He nodded with high curiosity. "Back in the basement... When you kissed me at the wall..." You pushed the words out of your mouth, feeling your cheeks burning. "You initiated something else as well. But then you stopped... Why?" 

There was a pause between the two of you for a moment. He was thinking about giving you a proper answer, you could see through his glasses. "Because..." He started with a thoughtful smile on his lips. "The expression you've made. It was.. something else." He smirked, breaking your eye-contact, for a moment "Back then I didn't know why it was like that, but I felt that it was superior compared to a casual Impure. You were different, and I saw it."

You bit your lower lip. So he knew already. Without a doubt, he was a great observer even in a situation like that. "And.." you whispered in a seductive voice that caught his eyes. You leaned closer, to shorten the distance between the two of your lips. Dennis swallowed, maybe nervously or pure excitement. You didn't know for sure, the only thing that was obvious, was his slight flinch to your question.

No.

More like a hidden begging.

.

"What if we would go further this time?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> //Hey Guys~☆
> 
> So uhm.. what can I say? *nervously slurps her tea* This chapter was full of action. In all meanings ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°) But ye haha I enjoyed writing it!
> 
> And hooo boi, you can prepare for the next one.~☆
> 
> Hopefully I can post it soon! Pray for me and my innocent soul which is new to the writing style of the upcoming part! (:3｣∠)_
> 
> Thank you for everything guys, you are amazing peeps!! ♡ *hints random blessing to you*//


	33. Chapter 33

The two of you were looking at each other nervously. 

Besides the low whizzing of the computer, the only sound that could be heard was your quiet panting into the air. It was really faint, almost inaudible, but at least it suppressed those heavy bumps that your heart let out.

You did it.

You actually said it out loud.

Just the thought of your current action sweated you down. Still sitting on Dennis lap, you didn't break your eye contact with the man, waiting impatiently for his reaction. Every second seemed like an eternity in this short amount of time.

"A-Are you sure about that?" He let it out finally, which, of course, had to be just another god damn question. Well, at least you saw that your offer startled him as much as you wanted it. He was clearly struggling with his inner feeling, probably desire against worry. But, according to his question, the latter was only stronger for a split second and the other one started to take its place. Although, this might have been only the thing you wished to happen.

After a shaky swallow, you gave him a slow but rather meaningful nod. Then, with a silly thought in your mind, you leaned forward, closing your eyes until your lips interlocked. It started out a slow, gentle kiss, but as soon as you let him pass his tongue for a passionate dance with yours, everything went wild. This must have been a sign that he wanted it as much as you did, right? He must have. Your arms wandered back up to his shoulders to tightly lock yourself to him. 

It was no escape anymore, and you ensured about it. 

The only occasion you paused sharing the row of kisses was when you actually had to take some time to breathe. You felt your body slowly heating up thanks to these real breathtaking minutes, and to be honest, you absolutely loved every second of them. You felt an emptiness inside which you had the desire to fill, yet you couldn't fully satisfy it.

It wasn't enough.

You needed more.

And actually, a slowly growing lump beneath your tights only made matters worst. It excited you, pumping blood into your cheeks, making your mind dizzy. Your lock around his neck released so that your fingers could slide down to the middle of his back and start slowly rolling up on his pajama shirt. You were desperately searching for his skin underneath, but a sudden grip on your back and under your knees intervened your action, making you surprisedly grab your partner's shoulders with a gasp. You flinched as he lightly lifted you up from the chair like you were equally heavy to a feather.

He headed towards the bedroom. You looked up at him to analyze his expression, but it was hard to make out anything thanks to the glass-frames covering his eyes. Although, the moment when he gently laid you down onto the double, you saw a thirsty sparkle appearing in his iris. It might have been only just your imagination, but the sight of him made you swallow in excitement. You fingers grasped his shirt, not to let him move apart, more likely to pull him even closer. A loud gasp left your mouth as you managed to free his upper body from the annoying material, but he quickly quietened you with a deep kiss again. The air in your lungs was constantly running out, which made your mind dizzy and foggy totally. 

But you didn't care.

Then suddenly, Dennis' lips started going down on on your jawbone, leaving hot marks on the side of your neck. Every kiss of him was a real tease, making you shiver every time his lips and hot breath tickled your bare skin. Then he stopped at one spot on your neck to leave a visual sign this time, and you just couldn't take it anymore. A forced back moan escaped from its cage within with some heavy pants, which made your partner intervene in his action. He lifted his head up and leaned to your ear. You felt your marked piece of skin stinging for a moment now that he left his place.

"I want to hear you, Sweetheart. Don't hide your beautiful voice." He whispered seductively, making your already pounding heart race even more. You were grateful that it was dark in the room because it was sure that all the blood came up to your cheeks. You didn't respond only noticed as he put down his glasses to the night table, still not moving away from above you. You swallowed as your wistful eyes followed back his free hand, precisely analyzing every one of his movements. Although, you were not prepared that his hand didn't go back to its original position beside your shoulder, but instead found a way under your pajama shirt. You shivered in as he slowly went up on your bare skin, starting with your stomach until it found your chest. His fingers gently embraced your breast, which, again let free a soft moan from inside. But Dennis didn't give you enough time since you got quietened once again. 

His fingers felt like fire on your cold skin or maybe was it the complete opposite? You didn't really know anymore. He stimulated you with every one of his touches, making you lose even more. He was quiet, you could only hear his hot pants during your kiss. You, on the other hand, couldn't keep your voice inside for that long. 

Then, suddenly he grabbed the bottom of your shirt and quickly rolled it up to rescue you from its embrace. You let him do that, and seconds later the cold morning air hit your skin, making slight goosebump on it. But it didn't take that long, since his warm palm covered back your chest again, while his lips started sliding down further this time. They passed your neckline, down across the collarbones until they reached your already hard nipples. You gasped, curving your back in excitement as he started teasing more intensely your breast. A cheeky grin appeared on his face to your reaction. He didn't say anything though, but you could guess what his mind was on. To this thought, your face started heating up again, so you just closed your eyes and enjoyed the moment instead. 

"Dennis!" The name of your partner escaped from your mouth in desirements, which made him flinch on his place but doesn't stop him doing his little tease. For a moment you wondered about his current expression but didn't bother yourself enough to actually check it, or.. just concentrate on any other things. 

Not that you asked you a question anyway, but again, he didn't respond. Instead, he released his gentle grip from your breast and moved it down to your thighs. You swallowed heavily as you felt his palm on the inner side of your leg, because of the frustration of the wetness beneath was growing from every tease he gave to you. Just the thought of having him between your legs, it twisted your stomach in impatience. 

And he didn't seem to do otherwise. His hand grabbed the waist of your pants and pulled the cloth off with your underwear. "You're already this wet?" He whispered out amazedly, not even waiting for an answer, not that you would have responded anyway. But anyhow, you got muted as he moved his fingers over your wet folds, flinching slightly to his touch desirously. 

But then, he decided to move again. You already knew what he was planning to do, and it made you bite your lower lip excitedly. You leaned onto your elbows and lifted up your head to follow his actions. He took your legs and sat between the two so that you were lying openly in front of him. He could see everything, and this squeezed you lungs excitedly. You swallowed as you watched him leaning down between your thighs, having that naughty sparkle in his eyes, which you noticed earlier.

You let out a loud moan as his tongue touched your folds. And it was just the beginning because the pleasure could only spread as he started exploring the unknown territory with growing curiosity. And your voice got louder and louder, while you were bending your head back and moving your hips to greedily make this even more enjoyable. 

Fuck, he could eat you out so well. 

You wondered whether he was with other women or not though. What he was doing was amazing, but it didn't mean he was not a virgin. Well, you didn't think much about this. He didn't let you concentrate on things like this. His teases made you dizzy from pleasure, forgetting about everything that was outside of this little world the two of you were into. 

Then, you slowly separated your lips with closed eyes. A foggy electric shock was about to burst out behind your folds, but he moved away before you could cum. Your eyes rushed to him, panting and shivering frustratedly as you watched him, waiting for an excuse to leave you on the edge. But then you saw him reaching for the night-table again, this time with another purpose. You swallowed following him taking out the little packet while he got rid of his bottom clothes as well. The sight of his erected dick gathered the saliva in your mouth, making it all wet.. well in both of your sides. He slid the plastic gum onto him, then grabbed your knees and opened your thighs to him again. For a moment you held back your breath and reached out for him desperately to pull your partner closer. Even though you didn't ask him loudly, he understood it and leaned over so that your arms could embrace his neck again. 

"You ready Sweetheart?" he whispered into your ear, locking his regards to yours. You, nodded with a heavy swallow, not breaking this seductive eye contact between the two of you. To your silent answer, he tilted his head to see what he was doing until you could feel the tip of his dick between your wet folds. You tried to relax as much as you could, yet couldn't help but let out a loud gasp, feeling him slowly fill you up from beneath.

"Fhuck" he sighed out "You're pretty tight." his voice was weak and shaky, yet you still could notice the excitement in it. 

And to be honest, you could relate to this.

"D-Dennis.." You stuttered out squeezing your lock to his neck as he started slowly moving his hips. The stimulation was a bit harsh at first, but as soon as you got used to it, the pleasure started growing with every one of his pushes same with the volume of your moans into the air. Then you lifted your head up to beg for more kiss which Dennis provided you willingly. It was deep and passionate, just like the connection that you were having. You didn't let go each other until both of you fought against the lack of oxygen again. At this point you had to release each other once more and hear the sounds of the bouncing sweaty flesh instead. It might have supposed to sound weird, but it was the opposite, these noises just made you even hornier and you weren't afraid to show it to him. 

Both of you were on the edge, you heard it just by the breath of your partner. Yet, it seemed like that you'll be the one who's going to cross the line by just the pure feeling of the pooling stimulation. And after a minute, you felt your inner core squeezing as a soft electric shock spread through your whole inside. "Dennis, I'm gonna-" You started, but couldn't finish the sentence, because the sudden pleasure hitting you cut your tongue. You clawed into Dennis's back, letting out a satisfied moan as you came. It felt like a dim electric shock, yet it took its effect.

Dennis straightened up from your grasp and pulled out his penis from the sweet prison of your folds. With a curse, he took off the condom to jerk off above you. You were right, he was on the edge as well, as you followed the process with your eyes. You couldn't move from the pleasure that hit you, but you didn't need to, since one more jerk and he was done too, panting and cursing as the light cum fell onto your sweaty skin. You bit your lower lip to the sight of the sticky liquid, but Dennis was already grabbing some tissue, to clean you up, and put the mess into the bin. 

After everything was neat again - well at least according to the situation - he laid back beside you opening his arms to an embrace. Both of you were a sweaty mess, but this didn't stop you from leaning into his hug. Your heart was still racing, your stomach was still twisting, but now there was also a pleasant, warm prickling between your legs that put a goofy grin on your face. It truly felt like a dream, but you really wished this wasn't the case.

You had enough of this dreams that tricked you over and over.

But no, this wasn't a dream. This was real. Dennis was lying on your side, cuddling with you after that you've just had sex a few minutes ago. This was the reality. And you couldn't be happier than this. To be honest, something was bugging you though. It was a yet unspoken sentence that could be only heard in the back of your mind. It was weak and doubtful until now, but somehow, now you felt like it was the time.

Now you felt sure in this feeling.

"Dennis..?" You started quietly like you didn't want to distract the warm atmosphere around the two of you.

"Yeah?" Answered your partner with a soft voice. You swallowed, feeling the lump in your throat that just didn't let go, but this was not something that could have stopped you.

"I love you."

For a moment, deep silence settled upon you, but it didn't take that long until it felt uncomfortable. You didn't lift up your head because you knew what expression Dennis had anyway. Surprised, maybe even a confused but certainly touched. You just... knew it. Felt it.

"I love you too, Princess." He whispered out, embracing you even more, like he needed to feel you around him to believe this was real and not just some imagination. You didn't mind it, you loved being in his protecting arms. Because there, you knew that you were loved. 

Both of you knew.

He might have told you something else, or not, but you didn't know it anymore. A sudden tiredness overcame on you, making everything dull and warm around you. And not soon later you were already sleeping next to the man who meant you more than anything. 

He noticed your sudden knocking out, and couldn't help but smile. He caressed your bare shoulder and set the blanket on you like he wanted to hide you from everyone else. Because you were his. He let out a tired sigh and closed his eyes, preparing to sleep back as well.

The world became soundless.

Well, almost.

Besides the low whizzing of the computer, the only sound that could be heard was your quiet snuffling into the air. It was really faint, almost inaudible, but at least it suppressed those heavy bumps that your heart let out.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> //Hey guys~☆
> 
> *sighes, then proudly sets the fic into mature content* WE DID IT! I'M PROUD OF ALL OF US! ♡♡♡
> 
> Now first thing first I DUNNO HOW TO SMUT. LOL Like wut is this I only read'em not write'em! But anyway I hope it turned out.. somehow ok. Lol
> 
> And before anyone asks, n o, it's NOT the end. I still have more plot in my pockets~☆
> 
> Anyway I'm gonna be on vacation with my friends for almost a week, so the next chapter will be probably a bit more late than usual. Hope this will be satisfying enough for you until then!~☆
> 
> Love you guys, seriously! Without you I could have never reached this point! So Thank YOU for supporting me! ♡//


	34. Chapter 34

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> //A.N: I just wanted to apologize for my disappearance before you even start this chapter. But I used my best knowledge to make this to my longest chapter that I've ever written! 
> 
> You'll find my other note in the original A.N spot.//

Roughly a week passed since that certain night when you fully decided to be on Dennis' side. And actually, you couldn't feel happier. Everything worked just fine with him. He must have been having some protection issues because he accompanied you everywhere you went, but you didn't mind it. Outside of your school, you always had him to count on as a constant partner. His apply for being a cleaner in the local shelter was not valid yet, so instead, he spent all his time with you. And to be honest you were a bit afraid not to have him around always. You felt like he was the only one who could truly understand you. 

The only one who was able to look through that shell that you've built during the past years.

The two of you have just arrived at his apartment, and you headed to the dining table to take off the schoolbag from your shoulders. This place became your official study spot where nowadays you had more and more motivation to do your duties. Sometimes even Hedwig accompanied you to help him in his studies as well. As soon as you put down the bag, you stretched with a long-drawn sigh. Another day was after you. Another day less before you had to choose where to go after school. 

This idea itself made you anxious.

You had some ideas, but they were not that sure for you to commit your whole future to them. You still needed time. But it was passing more quickly than you expected.

"Darlin!" You heard the voice behind you. Soft and gentle as always. It was not Dennis'. You knew his tone that well, that you could easily separate it from the others at this point. But this voice was familiar too, and you were not that bad at guessing not to find it out.

"Patricia?" You turned to your partner with high curiosity. She nodded at you, showing that your guess was correct, while she held her hand just as usual. As you stepped closer to her, the lips on her face crept into a soft smirk. You knew she was planning something. 

"Let's go shopping!" Patricia exclaimed excitedly as she put her hands together.

Her offer made you startle. "What?" You frowned in confusion.

"I talked with Dennis, and now I'm in charge in the Light. So let's buy some new clothes, Darling! This is an event I planned to do since you came here, but actually never really had the time to make it happen. So what you say?" She was looking at you with those convincing blue eyes of hers while her lips curled into a soft smile.

For a moment, suspicion pooled in your stomach but you quickly shushed it away since, let's be real: why the hell would she want to harm you at this point? You've been dating Dennis for more than 1 month now, and the others -well those who came to the light- seemed to accept it as well. Hedwig was a big fan of the idea to get you and Dennis together since the very beginning, even Patricia, who was pessimistic about you at first, she completely changed as well. Barry and Jade though, you could tell they were not happy about this. Not because of you, and they claimed this to you too, it was because they didn't trust Dennis. At all. And according to what they said, they just wanted to protect you... You wished to change their attitude.

Because it didn't lead to anywhere.

"So?" The woman asked again, waiting patiently for your answer.

"Oh" you jumped back to reality. "Yeah, it would be nice, to spend some time together." Responding that, you smiled back to her as a reassurance. Jeez, you shouldn't just get lost in your trail of mind so suddenly.

"Great!" She let out a gentle giggle, then went to the coat hangers to grab the keys from under a cap. They didn't change the place since the time back in that basement. This somehow gave you slight nostalgia. You thought you could leave all your memories back in that horrible place, but still, sometimes little details like this made your mind dizzy again. "Then let's go!" She opened the door with the same bright smile, gesturing you to go outside.

You did so, and after she locked the apartment after yourselves, the two of you were on the way down the stairs to outside. You were staring at your shoes in order not to fall off the stairway, but after the bright autumn sunshine covered you up, you actually had a look at Patricia's clothing range. But, actually, you noticed that she basically didn't change anything about Dennis's clothes. No high heels, no skirt this time. Only a light brown Probably to avoid unnecessary stranger looks during your trip. Well, you were surely grateful for that. Not that you were embarrassed by her or anything, but you never wanted to be in the middle of people's attention. This is why you changed school as well, to possibly reduce the people who knew about the news of your missing. 

Anyway, you were finally on the road to the local shopping mall. Neither of you started a conversation, but you couldn't say that uncomfortable silence settled upon you, since the woman was quietly humming some songs to herself. She must have been in a really good mood, you assumed. This is why she brought you shopping? ... Of course, you dummy, stop being paranoid. Stop accusing people of nothing... You really wished to tell this to Barry or one of his friends. 

"Are you okay, Darling? You look dazed." 

You flinched a bit and looked at the woman who was smiling next to you. "Oh" you let out with a shy smile. "I was just thinking." Do people really notice this easily when I have a blackout? I should really try working on this.

"About what?" Her expression didn't change, those blue eyes were looking at you expectingly. In a way, they were almost creepily calm and intimidating just like back then, but you decided to shake off this silly thought of yours. You had to make some quick excuse though. It wouldn't have been a good idea to talk of your worry about the other personalities. 

"About.. clothes." This is what came first into your mind. "Yeah, I was just wondering what do you want me to buy?" You let out a smile again just to make your answer more natural. 

"Hmm." She looked thoughtfully away. "Well, I didn't really think about this yet..." and she paused while a cheeky grin appeared on her lips. "But you know what? Why don't we surprise Dennis with a hot lingerie, Darling?"

"What?!" you immediately exclaimed in surprise which made your stop where you were standing. If you had been drinking water, now you surely would have spat it out. This was not a sentence that you were expecting from Patricia. 

She looked the same like your outburst never happened, but then before she could answer, the woman cracked into soft laughter, letting her seriousness flow away. "Do you think I was serious? How cute." She said it fighting with her giggle. "I mean that must be some 'shopping goals'" she imitated the quotation mark with her fingers. "as the youngsters would say, but I don't have any kind of ideas like this." 

Great, now you felt your cheeks getting red by embarrassment. "T-Then?" you stuttered out crossing your arms.

She gently cleared her throat, putting up her calm expression once again. "Well, I might have never gone to school, well, technically. But Kevin had. And when he was about in the age of yours, I remembered him talking about a kind of "prom"? He was a private student, so he could never go to one, but sometimes he wondered what a prom could have looked like. I, then searched for this event and found pretty fascinating, to be honest." She let out a giggle again. "If it would not have been full of Impures, I might have tried to insist him to find someone to go with."

"Well, I think I'll miss that out too." You shrugged indifferently. "I don't have a date, and I went to school when everyone was practicing their dance already. Even if I found someone, it would be too late to learn the dance. It's the middle of November." She was listening to your words carefully, and you noticed her lips lowered in slight disappointment. This somehow made your stomach twist. "It's fine though." You quickly added with a weak smile. "I don't mind it because I didn't want to dance anyway."

"Oh and why exactly?" She questioned in a curious tone.

"I've.. never had the mood to do this, I guess." You answered shortly, looking away. 

She, at first didn't say anything to this, but after a brief silence, she answered anyway, like your answer bothered her. "And you still don't want to?"

"No thanks, it's perfectly fine for me." You immediately responded, even if deep inside you kind of wished to dance on this event with somebody. Well.. with Dennis. But obviously, it could never happen.

"Well, you need a dress for that anyway. Even if you don't dance, there is an after dance when the students dance with their relatives and friends. It would be the perfect occasion for the two of you." She insisted passive aggressively.

"Wow, you really did research about this." You chuckled.

"When I do something, I do it with well care, Darling." She agreed with a superior tone in her voice. "So you need a dress. I suggest that we should find one. Let's go, shall we?" She finished her part of the conversation by walking towards the shopping mall again. Her willfulness made you startle that you had to quick your steps to catch up the distance between you and her. Gosh, there was no way to disagree successfully with this woman. She knew what she wanted, and even if you two were not enemies anymore, you had to do what she suggested to keep the peace. You didn't want to see her intimidating expression back from the basement, never again. 

She might not have been the strongest, but definitely one of the scariest personality you've met. Yet, when it was about Dennis, you could see her weak and caring side as well. She had a good heart when it was about him.

____________________________

"I think the light blue one was better." Patricia said examining you with a dark red dress in her hand. You were standing in front of the changing room, wearing a pastel yellow dress with a V-neck and some curl on the shoulders.

"You think? Well, it's okay I guess." You answered quietly, looking at yourself. It was weird to see you in a dress again. The last time you were wearing one was the date with Dennis. The date when the police found you and made your life turn completely upside down once again.

"It's okay? You're not that excited as I hoped you to be." The woman commented in a slightly insulted tone like by not enjoying shopping, you claimed that you don't like being with her in general.

"It's not that." You shook your head as a reassurance. "I'm just a bit tired, that's all. Didn't say it yet, but thank you for bringing me here. Really."

Her expression softened to your answer. "I planned to invite you for something like this. I think even after a month, I still looked as an intimidating person in your eyes. I just wanted to show you, you don't have any reason to fear me anymore." She was actually pretty close with this from the reality. Now the question was: Is she that good observer or you just hid your feeling that well that she easily found this out without any effort? Maybe both.

"You really didn't have to, but I'm glad you did actually." You said, showing her a genuine smile this time. "I'm having a great time with you." And this was true. Even if shopping didn't excite you in general, the time that you spent with her was better than you expected.

Your respond made her smile as well. "By the way. Could you try this on? I have a good feeling about it." She giggled, reaching out her hand with the red dress on.

"Okay." You said, accepting the piece of cloth. "Hopefully we can finally choose." Letting out a small chuckle, you dragged the curtain of the changing room, closing its gap, to take down your current clothes.

"I don't see any other possibilities than this or the blue dress, Darling." She answered from the outside in a sweet tone.

You quickly slipped out of the previous dress and put it on the hanger. That one was a great example that some clothes look better on the mannequins than on real people. With some easy movement, you already put on the red one, which had a diagonal shoulder part with some soft curls. The lower part was huddling up against your body so it showed your shape. And according to that you didn't have a bad body shape, it suited you pretty well. After one or two spins, you decided to show this to your accompany.

"I'm done." You said and dragged away the curtain once again to make your way out. She was turning her back to yourself with crossed arms. You assumed she didn't hear you, so you decided to turn her attention to you. "What do you think about this one?" The sentence was told as a kind of repeat as you still looked at her.

Then she turned towards you.

But something was not right.

She was leaning to her palm at the time you got to see her, massaging her forehead gently like she was having a terrible headache. Then she looked up into your eyes. You knew this eyes from before. They were filled with worry at that time when you last met. 

"You're not Patricia, aren't you?" Examining the expression on her face, you already had an assumption about who was standing in front of you. "...Barry?" You asked the second question even before your accompany could say anything. But you didn't need to get an answer this time. Those eyes had a vibe which could go through your body. And they were not happy.

Anxious and thoughtful, as always.

"You are correct, my dear." His tone was calm but it left a sad aftertaste in your core. But then he frowned and his eyes examined you from top to bottom. "Before... Before I say anything, let me tell you that this color does not suit you." He lowered his lower lip as his eyes continued analyzing your dress. Your eyes widened, hearing his critique out of nowhere. You guessed that he couldn't say no to his fashion side as much as Dennis about his cleaning need. "Probably something colder would emphasize your pretty face. Probably blue or maybe some darker green."

"Uhm. okay?" You frowned confusedly. Well, this was certainly random.

"Trust me I am a fashion designer." He gave you a soft smile, before he cleared his throat, showing that he'll change the topic from now on. "By the way, I assume you know why I am here, right?"

Great, it was time for the interrogation again. This made your lungs squeeze in worry and guilt because admit it, you promised to at least try to find out something about Dennis's 'evil project', but in reality, you didn't even move a finger to do that. No, you didn't want to. And you were ready to tell this to him. "Yes, and actually, I'm pretty happy that this sudden meeting happened Barry. I..." you let out a quiet sigh. "I'm pretty sure Dennis would never want to hurt me. I've been living with him for a month, and he had never shown any sign of this. I think that.. you're just overreacting it."

He quickly got his hands on his chest with a startled expression, like you just said a really mean insult to his family. "Me? Overreact it?! I just want to protect you, little girl!" He hissed at you with narrowed eyes. "Please tell me, from the two of us, who is the one, who knows Dennis for a longer period of time?"

You looked down at the floor of the boutique, feeling embarrassed. Maybe you went a bit too far? "You, of course."

"Correct." He commented grumpily. "And tell me who is the one who wanted to sacrifice you back in the basement, almost one month ago?"

You let out another sigh, not looking up. "Dennis and Patricia..."

"Correct once again." He crossed his arms before his last question. "And lastly, please tell me, who is the one, who can't see out of the pink fog which is constantly floating in front of their eyes."

You anxiously grabbed your arm. "Me..." Your tone was almost completely silent this time, but your partner could still hear it clearly. 

"Now don't get me wrong." The guy gently put his hands on your shoulders as a reassurance. "I'm not saying that loving someone is a bad thing. And I don't want you to go away either. I like you, my dear, I just want the best for you." His careful voice made you heart even sink deeper. "But I don't trust Dennis. Neither of us." Moving your eyes away from the floor, you could see that your partner was honest. You could see it in his sad ocean blue eyes. 

"Who are 'us'?" You swallowed nervously, almost afraid of the answer.

"Everyone outside of the Horde." An uncertain smile crept up to his lips, making him fall into a weak smirk. Even if the sadness didn't disappear from his eyes. "We are 4 times more than them, yet they are the one who is in charge. It is truly pathetic."

"Don't say that. If you had been in charge before, then you must know how to take it back." you answered immediately before even realizing that this was the first thing that came into your mind. Now, which side are you truly on?

"You don't want to help us, but at the same time, your words show your intent otherwise. How interesting." He frowned still having that disappointed smile on his lips. He was just as confused as you were.

"I just don't want you and the others to be unhappy. I want to help all of you."

"You still don't understand it.." he shook his head in disappointment. "The only way to help us is to find out what he's doing. If you are so sure that Dennis is innocent then you should not be afraid of this."

That's right, why are you so worried about this? You were sure Dennis didn't do anything... then why? Maybe because deep inside you feared that Barry was right. That Dennis was really as guilty as he claimed.

"If you are right," the man continued "and he really hasn't been doing anything, then I will accept him as the leader of the Light. Deal?" He released the grip on your shoulder and reached out his hand to a handshake. "But we need your help. Please."

His last word made your whole spine shiver. He was serious, and you were afraid that you were really the only one who could solve this problem. And this fact was tearing you apart.

"...Deal." you answered in a faint voice. Was this really the only solution? If so, then you were again the sacrificial lamb for the better good. Even if you became unhappy, at least you pleased everyone else.

"I'm truly sorry." He shook his head slowly with a sympathetic voice. "I know this is hard, but it'll worth in the end."

"You think?" You said hearing your voice break as you looked down again.

"I'm sure." He claimed, then he grabbed your shoulders just to win your attention to his last words. "Remember Dear, I want YOU to be happy. So please trust me."

His eyes were meaningful, and you couldn't help but believe him. You've always sympathized with Barry, and he didn't look that kind of person who would hurt a bug. Yet you could already see his explicit side. He must have been truly a leader before with people who liked him with respect.

As an answer, the only thing you could give was a smile which he returned as well. At least this small gesture made the mood lift up at the very end. He seemed to hurry as you could see just by noticing his expression. Probably he used the Light 'without permission' even if originally he had been the one who decided about who could be in charge.

"Anyway, I have to go. My time is out." He said finally proving your thoughts. "Could you please go back to the changing room, pretending not to meet me?"

"Sure." You nodded, understanding his reasons, then you turned your back to him and started walking back to the small room.

"Wait!" For the last time, he grabbed your shoulder which made your head turn back to him. You curiously looked at the man, wondering what he wanted to say. "I just..." he started, finding his words. Then without a slight head shake, he showed you a soft smile. "Thank you. Really."

His words made a warm feeling pool up in your stomach. First, you wanted to answer, but no word was proper enough to define what you felt, so instead, you stepped towards him and let him into a warm hug. He reflexively embraced you back, but you could see in his expression that it made him frozen on his spot in surprise. Yet, you didn't mind it, this gesture meant you more than some words. And it must have been the same for him too. "I trust you, Barry. I'll try to find out what's going on." You responded in a serious tone so that your partner could feel that this time you were on his side. Maybe for the first time, and hopefully not the last.

Then you released him with a determined smile which he could only return with a shy one, and even before he could even say anything more, dragged the curtain back to its place to close yourself from the outside world. You thought you gave a proper goodbye to him. He might never come back. You didn't know about how the personalities decided to use the Light, but if neither Dennis nor Patricia like him, god-knows-when he could show up again. It was a real pity because you felt the two of you would have been great friends. Maybe by solving this mystery, they could agree finally. Maybe. This was for the future for sure.

Anyway, for now, you had to pretend that you didn't see anything, you didn't hear or notice anything extraordinary. You had to be indifferent otherwise Patricia might find it out.

But you could do it.

"I'm done!" You repeated the same sentence that you used before. This seemed to be the most natural. Then you stepped out of the changing room, looking at the direction where now Patricia was standing. She was frowning, probably wondering what happened.

"Did something happened Darling?" She asked, not even looking at the dress you were wearing.

"What do you mean?" You looked at her with pretended confusion.

"I just.. never mind." She shook her head then examined you from tip to toe. "Could you spin around? Let me see you." You did so while waiting for her reaction. "I don't even know... maybe the.."

"Blue one?" You completed her statement.

Her eyes widened a bit to your answer. "Yes, I think so. Do you like that one too?"

"I think that would emphasize my hair color. The colder colors are better for me, they say."

She frowned again, crossing her arms. "Somehow did you become a color specialist in 5 minutes?"

"I realized in the changing room that we learned color theory last week." You giggled, which made the woman smile as well.

"So we should buy the blue one then?" Patricia asked for the last time, taking out her purse.

"Definitely." You agreed still not letting that smile fade on your lips.

"Then change back and we can go." She responded cheerfully as she counted the money in the holder.

"Alright!" You answered in the same cheerfulness and went back to the changing room.

Not much later you were walking out of the shopping mall with the woman, both having a satisfied smile on your face.

.

Even if at the moment this meant different things for the two of you.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> //Hey Guys~☆
> 
> ...
> 
> I should drag my face here after a 1-month long disappearance, right? I'm sorry, truly sorry, for letting you here without a word. To be honest I didn't really have a mood to write. But now I'm back! I actually realized that I don't want to draw this story too long so I should get myself together and finally continue it! I won't say any date cuz we all know how bad I am with deadlines lol.
> 
> Anyway, things get serious now that Barry repeated himself not to mess up everything! He's a sweetheart lol, I like him~ I think he could be a great, supportive friend. So hurray TeamBarry! (Dennis is still my fav tho~☆)
> 
> Also, thank you for all of your comment and votes. (Yes I read all of them. All. Of. Them. ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)) They truly bring me life and motivation (and guilt) to write more! Thank you so much for all of you!
> 
> Let's hopefully meet soon!~☆ I've had tons of stuff in my pocket lololol//


	35. Chapter 35

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> //Huhh this was the last chapter that I had to import. Good! Now I could upload here directly when the new chapter is done!   
> Hope I didn't lose anyone on the way here :D//

After talking with Barry, your goal was obvious. You had to try something -or in better case, not trying anything- so that you could prove one of the of your theory. You deeply wished that Dennis was truly innocent and Barry was simply paranoid about him. This was the only thing that kept you pushing forward. Because, obviously, without any evidence, none of you couldn't do anything. So you had to activate yourself, fast.

But when?

You were under almost 24/7 surveillance. The only possibility for you was looking through the files at night when Dennis was sleeping. But what if he caught you? What would you say? 'I'm sorry, I was just curious about your.. ugh files.' You were a horrible liar, so it was the best not even risk this possible outcome. You were even surprised that Patricia didn't find out what happened back in the shopping mall. Or maybe she did... she just didn't say it out loud.

"Hey!"

A high pitched voice intervened your trail of thoughts. Looking into the source's direction, your friend was crouching next to the table, one hand on your sleeves which he probably tugged to earn your attention.

Your lips curled into a smile to his sight. You exactly knew who was next to you. "Hedwig it's good to see you!"

He showed you a bright grin but then looked at the books in front of you. "Are you studying?"

Your eyes followed his until you noticed the pile of schoolbooks lying on the table. Your history book was even open next to your hand. Your thoughts seemed to attack you during reading. Well, it just showed how interesting your current lesson must have been. You looked back to the boy, who was still crouching and leaning into the corner of the table. "Yeah, but you don't bother me." You smiled at him kindly "So? I know you didn't come here without a purpose." You joked with a grin to light up the atmosphere. 

He slightly dragged his lips, like he was thinking about something. "I was bored..." he said briefly as he looked away "In the room. So I asked Mr. Dennis to come here."

"So" you answered with curiosity. "I guess he let you."

"Yeah, he was really nice" the boy grinned with enthusiasm. "I didn't want to use the Light without permission." He shrugged. "They're already thinking about who steals the Light when they're not looking."

To his last sentence, you felt a small lump appearing in your stomach, making it twist with nerve. You knew exactly who stole it... well at least they must have been related to Barry even if it was not himself. You knew they worked on finding something about Dennis, but it seemed that they really couldn't go anywhere. It was all on you. Because you could search when no one was expecting it. You just had to find a perfect time for that.

"I guess he appreciated that you were a good boy." As the sentence left your mouth, you showed him a genuine smile. This response made him nod vigorously. "So" you decided to change the subject, "You said you were bored. We can do something together if you want."

"Ughhh but I don't want to bother your study..." He lowered his lips in disappointment.

"I can do that later." You leaned to the table with a grin on your mouth "Now what do you want? Shall we draw? Shall we watch something?"

Hedwig bit his lower lip like he was struggling with something, but after that, he looked back at you. "Can you read for me?" His voice was weak like he was afraid to ask it. "Patricia read for me sometimes, but I didn't want to bother her either, she and Dennis look just really busy nowadays."

His ask startled you a bit. It was not that you didn't want to, simply just no one asked you to do that before. "Well, sure if that's what you want." You gave the 9-year-old a reassuring smile. "Do you have any favorite story?"

His eyes sparkled to your response. "Wait here!" He said grinning then he quickly jumped up and rushed to the office table and opened one of its /fiók/. With one big jerk, he was already turning back with a big ol' book in his hand. Just by looking at it, you could see that it had at least 500 pages.

"Is this some kind of compilation?" You asked as he handed the old object to you. It must have been like 20 years old. Or more.

"Yeah, Ms. Patricia ordered this to my birthday 2 year ago!" He exclaimed it happily.

"Do you have a birthday?" The question slipped out of your mouth before you even could think that this might have sounded inappropriate. "I mean!" You corrected yourself in a split second "How do you know when it is? Since.. you know..."

The little boy frowned for a second but more likely thanks to confusion, not insult. But then his grin appeared again, as he started his little explanation. "Well, we count it from the day we first got into the Light!"

This detail made you think about something. Of course, your girlfriend side kicked in as soon as possible. You remembered that none of you actually asked the others birthday. It just... slipped away from every one of your conversation with Dennis. "So" you started in a curious tone "Do you still celebrate birthday, right?"

"They celebrate only mine, I don't know why." He shrugged thinking "Maybe they don't like birthdays? But Ms. Patricia always gave me present."

Probably because he was a child, you thought. Children are always celebrated in their birthdays, even when everything else when terrible as hell. You remembered that your uncle always gave you some unnecessary gadget to your birthday, probably some hunting stuff, because he never knew what to give you. And even if the day before your birthday was a living hell, he started celebrating the next day like nothing happened. Weird. Really weird.

"Why?" The boy /megdönti a fejét/ with big eyes.

His ask dragged you back to reality. "Nothing, I was just curious." You showed him a smile to make him not to ask any more questions.

Of course, you wanted to surprise Dennis on his birthday, but it seemed that it wouldn't work unless he tells you his date by himself. That's a shame, but maybe if you brought up your birthday, he would tell you his as well. Well, it's worth a try.

"So do you have any favorite stories here?"

"You can choose one!" He grinned at you as he handed you the wide book.

It was quite heavy and smelled like an old library. It might have been from an antiquarian. "Let's go to the bed then" you offered, directing to the bedroom. "It's more comfortable."

After his nod, both of you headed to the bedroom. It was amazing, how natural it felt to behave with the different personalities. Lying in the bed with Dennis was your everyday program, even Hedwig didn't move any unnerving feeling in you, but of course, it felt different with him. It felt like he was your little brother who somehow you had a good relationship with. But you could never imagine this with Patricia. No, it felt... too weird to even think about it. Probably because you still had some flashbacks about her back to the basement. Of her calm yet intimidating aura as she threatened you with cold blood. These were memories that got only faded, but they could never truly disappear.

Anyway, the two of you could settle down into a comfortable position, you opened the book in the gap between the boy and you and you let him choose a story to start this little tale-telling afternoon. 

_____________________

You words became quieter following the fainting voice that left your mouth as you slowly put down the book into your lap. Hedwig was leaning onto his arm while his chest peacefully lifted up and down. You didn't dare to move, just looked at him as the room became still. It felt like everything stopped just so that you could live this moment. No sound. No movement. Just peace.

Suddenly an idea popped into your mind that made your body shiver. The boy was sleeping. Now, no one was watching.

Your time has come.

You shakily swallowed, fearing that even this could wake up the sleeping boy, and with high care, you put down the book onto the blanket and slowly turned to the side of the bed. He probably wouldn't even have woken up to greater noise either, but you didn't dare to risk it. Basically, this was pure luck that everything came out this way. You most likely won't have any other opportunity in the near future at least, so you had to decide now or never.

This was your only chance.

One leg down on the carpet. Then a slow turn to get the other one as well. No sign from the boy seemed to show that he was getting up soon. Great. Now stand up. Slowly, do not make any sounds. You didn't even remember when did you try to be this soundless last time. Probably when you hide from the monster back in the basement. Huh. At least now your life was not depending on this. Well, hopefully.

With quick but light movements, you sneaked out of the bedroom thinking for a moment to close the door behind you. This seemed to be a good idea, but at the same time you were afraid that you might wouldn't notice then if he woke up... Not that you could have watch Hedwig without the boy easy notice, so at this point, you decided just to carefully pull the door just to cover your activity in the living room. Your heart was pounding painfully in your throat as you peeked at the nine-year-old for the last time before you left the doorway. He was resting so peacefully like he wouldn't wake up in 12 hours... You shouldn't dream things like these now. You had a task which you had to do. Just concentrate.

You sat down in front of the computer, turning it on. And it did, with a quiet whizzing that started growing to fill the room. You cautiously peeked to the door again just to make sure everything was fine, but there were no actual movements there, fortunately.

With a shaky sigh, you turned back to the loading screen. You were fucking crazy for doing this. You waited out a perfect opportunity to sneak into your love's privacy just to find some evidence about that's he's guilty in something you didn't even know about. You just really hoped that you won't find anything and Barry will stop making you worried as well. You just wanted to be happy. With Dennis.

The windows fully loaded showing the icons suddenly disappear and reappear in a split second, so this meant you could start your investigation. You opened the manager in to see all the files on the hardware. There were definitely a ton of it. Like.. thousands. How the hell did should have found anything in this? You needed some plan.

You decided not to check every existent folder, but those who might have any relation with your partner. Like a Dennis named folder or something like that. The personalities had named files back in the basement, why wouldn't they have had the same folders here? It was worth to at least give it a try. With this plan, you had the first destination to go: the documents. Every personal file should have been there.

And after some click, you found them as you hoped. Every name had a separate folder in a precise order. You checked the names and clicked into Dennis' one. Inside, you faced with even more folders... great. But at least there was no mess anywhere. Not an individual or missed file. You partner was carefully aware of keeping everything clean even on the computer just like in real life. Although there were only 2 folders that you could check: Jobs and Contacts. And as it turned out, none of them contained any useful information for you. Although, it surprised you how many jobs he tried to apply before. Most of them were related to animals: wild or not, they all took parts of having them around. He must have liked them... Though people say that having pets around you made you feel relieved. Probably this was what he wanted to achieve as well.

You deeply wished he would be successful with the local animal shelter.

But now you had to get back to work! Barry wouldn't have been that aggressive and persistent if he hadn't found reasons to be suspecting. He must have found a file or something that made him and the others worried. But where could it have been? You couldn't think of any proper place.

Then with a sudden idea, you got back to the other's folders and chose to check Patricia's. Maybe she had some proof which at least you could have used for a start. But to your disappointment, the only thing that you found was some songs of the far-east world with matching wallpapers. Huh, she really did love their culture. But sadly nothing was there for you. You had to move on.

With a quick turn, you made sure that no movement could be heard from the other room. You swallowed nervously and continued your research.

Next, you checked Hedwig's folder, because... basically why not at this point. According to Barry, the nine-year-old was also part of the Horde, so they could hide things here just as they could have done with Dennis or the woman.

But again, the reality disagreed with your idea by only showing you his captures of his drawings which were taken by mobile. Clicking to one, a familiar photo popped up onto the screen. The one that portrayed you and Dennis as stick men hands in hands. A light shiver rushed through your spine as you looked at this picture. You remembered clearly when he made this piece of art next to you in the basement. Yet, it felt like a decade had passed since then. Amazing, how subjective the time could be.

You still didn't find anything though. This sudden nostalgia couldn't push you forward either.

You stroked your hair, letting out a frustrated sigh. You really didn't know what to do. You were not a hacker to take out tons of possibilities from your pocket about how to track somebody's activity down. You never did anything like this, and you hoped to never do this again. The burning feeling of guilt was constantly aching in your stomach like acid to slowly perish your body. Not that you expected to feel something else. You turned against your greatest support behind his back. Of course that you felt like shit.

Trying to remember how the personalities organized their files in the other computer, you decided to close the file manager and take a look on the desktop. Maybe somehow, magically a sign could show you the right way. Now that the program in front of you disappeared, you could check the files here thoroughly. Let's see... Different browsers, some kind of antiviral program, the bin, and... actually there was an abandoned folder in the right bottom corner. It was called 'stuff' so you assumed that the only purpose of its, was to keep clean the desktop. A weak ray of hope appeared in the back of your mind seeing the pixelated object.

Something might have been there.

Having the excitement rushing you down, you quickly stepped into it, just to see more folders inside. Definitely not every name was lined up, only those who might have made a mess with their downloaded stuff on the desktop. Thinking of it, then it was really a good idea to put everything here. There was a folder for Jade, Hedwig, Samuel, Orwell, and Barry. Looking at the icons you assumed that these personalities liked to download maybe too much unnecessary stuff than they should have.

You clicked on Barry's one. Fashion clothes and material pictures were everywhere. This man sure loved searching on the internet for inspiration. 

Then you turned to Jade's folder then. But seeing some young pop-star guys' pictures with or without shirts made you quickly got out of that place too.

Maybe curiosity did kill the cat.

And now you were the cat who just died a little bit inside.

A little curiosity still was lurking deep in your mind to go to Hedwig's folder. What was a nine-year-old boy up to these days? Then clicking into his territory, you quickly got your answer. Cars.

"Oh.. Why am I not surprised?" You let out quietly as you raised up your eyebrows being a bit unimpressed. But well, he didn't harm anyone by watching big fancy cars on the internet.

Something though, it caught your eye.

There was another folder besides the car pictures, called 'Drawings'. Why was this here? You clicked on it and really, some of his pictures faced you one level behind. The same that was in the documents as well. But, again, why were they here then? But something seemed to answer this question as well.

There was another folder in them as well, called 'Internet stuff'.

Pictures of cute wild animals filled up the program as soon as you clicked on it. Probably reference photos? You didn't know, this whole part started making you confused. Now there were 2 possibilities. The first one was that Hedwig was really an unstoppable boy who couldn't help but download tons of pictures that the others had to build a whole labyrinth of folders to him, to keep the computer from being jammed, or... there was something else. This situation felt a bit fishy for you to be honest.

Then you rushed your eyes through the jungle of the literal jungle when another folder made your regards stop. The title: 'Other stuff' could be seen under its icon.

Alright, this was getting truly ridiculous now.

You frowned and clicked into it impatiently until you ran into a virtual wall suddenly that made you slightly jump in your place. Then you leaned closer to read the command on the message. Please write down the password.

"Holy.." you whispered out with a shaky sigh. You might have found what you've been looking for... But you didn't know the password. How the heck could you find it out? You couldn't sit here guessing it for hours, because, first thing first Hedwig could wake up in anytime, and secondly if this was that serious that Barry said, then Dennis must have found out a difficult password to it.

A really bad feeling pooled up in your stomach in a split second as you kept looking at the virtual barricade. Barry was right. Dennis had something to hide. You were sure this was not Hedwig's he would have never made such a hidden path to something.

And to this thought, two big, fat tears slid down on both of your cheeks.

No, no no this was no time for crying. You had to get yourself together. You didn't even know what was in this folder and you already broke into pieces. The others needed you, and you had to prove that they were wrong. After all, you were still on Dennis side, right? You wanted to prove that he was innocent. And you could find this out in only one way.

You had to see what was inside in this folder.

But you had to be careful. Nobody should have assumed that you knew this existed. And when they were not looking, you had to try at least find out where the password could have been. Dennis must have put a copy of it somewhere, right? Nobody can trust their mind especially if it was split into 23 parts. There must have been something that could help you.

Encouraging yourself with this thought, you wiped down the tears and turned off the computer and headed back to the bedroom to check if the boy was still sleeping. You peeked into the room to see him lying on his side with quiet snuffles. He still looked like that you couldn't have woken him up even if you wanted to.

You let out a relieved sigh as you slowly got back to the dining table. Though, even if you sat in front of your school books, you were sure that there was no way for you to be able to concentrate on things like study at the current moment. There was a way bigger issue floating in your inner eye. And you had to solve this as soon as possible.

Surely long days seemed to be ahead of you.

.  
And it was your time to finally show what you've got.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> //Hey Guys!~☆
> 
> Heyheyhey I could finish this chapter in almost reasonable time! That kinda nice! But seriously I'll try to be faster next time since this is almost like a cliffhanger or some sort and I don't want you to hang in there for too long~☆
> 
> Anyway, yeah, I don't really have anything else to say now. I don't wanna give you any spoilers~
> 
> See you in the next one! Love you guys!~☆//


	36. Chapter 36

Several days have passed since that particular afternoon when you noticed that something wrong was going on in the background. The afternoon when you found that locked folder which has been bugging you since then. If the curiosity could kill, you would be already dead. But at the same time, it worried you as well.

You had a very bad feeling about all this...

But then you shifted everything concerning away and just concentrated to the solution. You had to find the password, but Dennis seemed to hide it so well - if he hid it at all. He might haven't even written it up to anywhere and you were doing all this work for nothing. You hoped it was not this case though.

Though the upcoming days didn't show this to you. Instead, you just felt like you were breaking all the rules for basically nothing. No password, no useable information, nothing. You couldn't reach the 2nd stage in this.

Were you truly this bad? Or just he was that good?

Maybe both...

[Silence.  
Stillness.  
Immobility.

Darkness fell and the world was covered with a frozen overlay. You were sitting on your bed, arms embracing your knees. Your eyes were blankly staring outside of the window, where gross drops were sliding down on the glass material. It was raining quietly, almost inaudibly. Like the sky was crying softly out all of its feelings.

It fascinated you.

Without looking around, you exactly knew where you were. You were familiar with this place. The place where you've grown up. It was your Uncle's house. You wondered for a moment whether you just hop up and leave. But no, this atmosphere mesmerized you.

Like a trans.

Then both the silence and darkness got broken once you heard the door of your room slightly open. A thin ray of light shined onto the glass, covering its scenery. Instead, the only thing you could see on it was the reflection of the bright hallway with a shadow in the middle of it. A shadow which got even closer by every step. You recognized this demonic silhouette. You knew where you encountered it before.

Back in the basement.

And once again, the two of you got into the same place. You saw it through the window coming closer. Having the same predator instinct, to kill you. Fear pooling into your stomach, you wanted to run, escape, but you didn't move. Your body couldn't move an inch.

You were completely paralyzed.]

 

A loud thunder broke you out of your dream.

You opened your eyes, sweat sliding down on your temple. Squeezing your fingers into a fist, you let out a relieved sigh. Still moving... This was a horrible dream... Thinking of this, you didn't even have them nowadays. Probably because of the changes that went through your life. They kept you busy and averted the negative thoughts from you. Maybe now that you became stressed out again from this whole investigation, you let your guide down.  
Yeah, probably...

Wih a deep inhale you looked above you at the dark ceiling. It must have been still in the middle of the night... You hoped you didn't wake up Dennis. It happened more times in the past and they made you unsettled. You didn't want to bother him with your problems, but he was always there to help. And deep inside, you were really thankful to him. It seemed now terrifying to deal with these phantoms alone.

You directed your regard to the left, to see him as a reassurance, but instead, you found his empty spot carefully smoothed. Just like in your dream before. You shakily swallowed to the fearful thought, but then your attention quickly moved to the window opposite of you. More exactly the soft thumping noise that constantly had itself been heard. Another chillfull comment appeared in the back of your mind. You hoped it truly didn't mean anything. That somehow it didn't relate to the rain in your nightmare.

Feeling this worryful feeling pooling up in your stomach, it was the best to take a little walk in the apartment, and at least you could find Dennis as well. Two birds with one stone should you say.

So you got out of the bed, sliding into your furry flip-flops and directed to the door which was closed. Looking at the keyhole, you could see a dull ray of light coming through though, which made you frown. He probably didn't want to wake you up this time like before. Well, it was definitely not him, but the storm outside that dragged you out of the bed, but still, you appreciated this little gesture of his.

Although, after putting your fingers around the handle, you stopped. You heard his muffled voice through the timber object. It sounded like.. he was talking to somebody? Then another voice seemed to answer his probable question. You recognized this high and soft tone too. He was talking to Patricia.

But it was like 2 am, why were they talking?

And.. about what?

You started to feel curious. And it has almost never brought any good to you. Oh well, curiosity killed the cat but satisfaction brought it back. Maybe they were talking about the hidden project or something. In this case, you could bring some actual information to Barry. Even if you really hoped this was not the case though.

With a quiet sigh, you leaned down to the keyhole, hoping you could notice him through it. At that point, the conversation seemed to be more clear as well.

"I'm so close Patricia" could be heard the man's quiet voice. "Some more days and everything will be set up."

"It won't be that easy, and you know that too."

"...Why are you suddenly so worried? All the things that we planned seem to work fine."

"Indeed." She agreed "But you didn't count on one thing."

"And what is that exactly?" According to his tone, he sounded a bit irritated.

The woman stopped for a moment like he was struggling with something. Maybe to tell him what she was thinking. But then what he answered made you frown.

"Her."

Why were they talking about you? Thinking of it just made even more questions that made you confused. This whole conversation seemed out of blue so far. So, you turned back to the hole and waited for an explaining answer.

But instead, another pause came.

"And why would she be a problem?"

"Because she won't accept this." This answer came faster like she was sure in her statement.

"But I know she will."

"And Dennis, I know she won't. This confronts with her manners values. I can see it in her eyes. I can see into her soul."

"No, you don't understand, she loves me and she accepts me! She accepts all of us!" He raised up his tone short temperedly.

"But not him!" Patricia's answer was such cold and straightforward that you felt it sinking into your partner's core.

"...I will enlighten her. The honor she will get... It will make her forget about the cost."

"No, you're wrong. How can you not hear yourself? You will scare her away."

"I love her. And I want the best for her. At any cost." His tone lowered, letting out an intimidating tone.

"Look Dennis." She darkened her voice as well. "Do you want to lose her? Because if you continue this... she will leave."

"No-!" He snapped at her angrily but the man's voice got interrupted by hers.

"Yes she will and you know that too! But you are a coward for admitting it!" She answered coldly knowing that she's right. And she truly was.

"Leave me alone!" Dennis shouted it out losing the final straw. You jumped at your place hearing him shout. He has never done it while he was with you. And this side made him scary...

Just like the time back in the basement.

...

But no answer came.

Patricia was gone.

And the man was alone once again.

„Shit.." you could hear him curse then after a small pause he said to himself „I hope I didn't wake her up... I should check her..."

This last comment of his made your blood chill. Nonono, shit what should you do?! You hurried back as fast as you could and almost jumped under the cover. You dragged the material onto you and held back your breath just before you heard the door's opening. You could feel your partner's eyes as he examined you from the door frame without a word. But then after seeing that you were still asleep, he left the room making the darkness fall onto it again. You let out the breath that you were still holding feeling your heavy racing heart in your chest. This feeling... too familiar. Hiding under the cover, hoping that you wouldn't get noticed... 

Just like...back in the basement.

But this still couldn't stop you. No, at this point, you had to know it. You felt that you played a huge part in.. something. And you wanted to know what it was.

So with encouraging yourself to this crazy idea, you sneaked out again and walked to the door. Looking out through the keyhole again, you noticed your partner standing in the middle of the living room. He was holding his head frustratedly, then he crossed his arms.

"Why is she turning against me all of sudden." He must have been talking about Patricia. Suddenly he walked out of your sight, towards the illuminating computer. You guessed he sat down in front of it, but much to your surprise all of the lights went out. Did he turn it off? For a moment you froze that he might come back to your room. "I can't believe it..." he said to himself in an irritated tone, which you could hear pass this door and go to the right. "Un-fucking-believable..."

You let out a shaky sigh. This was close. But then the realization hit you.

He went into the bathroom.

The room was clear.

To this thought, you grabbed the handle.

Wait.

No.

"Don't do it. Don't be crazy."

You grinned blankly in front of yourself.

"Fuck it. Now or never."

And you opened the door to find yourself into the empty living room. The only light that could be seen was sneaking out of the bathroom's door, having your partner's inside. It was nearly impossible to find anything without being caught. You had to be truly crazy to come in here. But you heard the computer lowly whizzing on its place, so this meant he just turned off the screen. Dennis might haven't wanted to lose what he was working on. But why did he made the screen black? Who did he want to hide his work from? You had to check it out.

You quickly rushed to the computer to turn its monitor on, counting every single second that passed. Maybe they could make a difference, you never knew. Then to your touch on the button, the screen flashed white making your eyes narrow to the sudden light. A folder was opened with 3 documents in it. Conclusion, Volunteer 1 and Volunteer 2. You narrowed your eyes in confusion, then clicked to the first one. A world document popped up in the middle of the screen, so not wasting anytime you read the title.

'Purgation II

According to the success of the first stage, now I do think it's available for us to experience the Beast's power further.'

Your eyes widened in fear. Feeling your heart pounding in your throat, you decided to read more.

'Although to reach our finest goal, we have to broaden the numbers of the volunteers to experience even a better result.'

Are you kidding me?! They - He wanted to awaken the Beast again? The monster? That murderer who almost killed you as well? He wanted to unleash it?!

Losing your self-control you clicked to the file manager and opened both documents which called Volunteer 1 and 2. You feared the worst, but you still tried to grab even to the slightest ray of hope. And wished this hadn't been true.

Yet, you didn't have this much luck.

You quickly got your hand to your mouth as soon as both of the documents opened, having a deeply detailed description of two girls.

Two girls that you knew as well.

Claire and Marcia.

This was sick. No this.. this couldn't be real. This was just a dream, a nightmare!

"I thought you were asleep."

Your whole body froze after hearing his voice... Dennis' voice. You shakily turned to the man who was standing in the doorframe of the bathroom. He was calm and still for a second, but then his regard moved to the lightened up computer.

"Sweetheart, that's-"

"Don't call me like that!" You cut him off fighting with anger and fear inside.

"Let me explain it." He stepped forward, still having a worryingly calm attitude.

Backing to the wall behind, you shouted at him. "No, don't come closer!"

"I don't want to hurt you-"

"I don't believe you! What do you want from me and them?! You want to kidnap them and kill them just like you wanted to do to me too?!!" Letting all your voice out in a desperate tone, you felt tears gathering up in your eyes.

"You're different."

"And how so?!"

"You're Pure, that's why!" He raised his voice up as well, just to make you hear him.

For a moment you paused then whispered out in disbelief. "Are you still believing in this bullshit..?"

He didn't answer to you but tried to calm himself down again. "I'll heighten you. You - We are different. We are better than them!" He showed you a smile with an intention to reassure you, but it just made you even more unsettled. "With this power, I'll cleanse the world! I can be the 'King', the Leader of the pushed and suffered ones. I can show them the right way, and you, my love, you will be my Queen!"

This must have been just a nightmare again. This couldn't happen.

"Do you think this is just some fucking game?!" You shouted back, letting down even more tears drop onto the floor. "Do you think you can just play with people's lives like some kind of God?!" You asked or even like commanded him to answer, which he didn't give you, so you had to continue it, losing all your sense. "You can't! You are sick, Dennis! Sick!"

And getting a sudden courage you started running, more like escaping towards the door. But after finding the key on the coat hanger, and putting it into the keyhole, the man stopped you by grabbing your arm desperately.

"Please wait!" He jerked your hand, fearing of your sudden leave.

You cried out in the mix of slight pain and surprise. Trying to push away his fingers that squeezed your arm tightly you also screamed at him "Leave me alone!"

And to this, he let go your wrist, realizing the exact words he shouted at Patricia just some minutes ago. And you were free, almost falling to the ground thanks to the suddenly disappeared resistance. But this didn't stop you, and as you finally found the key through your tears, you pulled the door open with full force and ran out without bringing anything with yourself.

And he just stood there, hand in the same position that grabbed your arm. Then, instead of running after you, he just lowered his arm down. Looking blankly at you as you disappeared from his sight. Running into the darkness, to the rain.

.

Just like you tried back in the basement.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For anyone who didn't expect something like this, I'm sorry.


	37. Chapter 37

Panting heavily into the freezing night, you rushed through the darkness without looking back. The temperature must have been just above 0C° because despite getting that chilling rain into your face, you could see your own breath under the lights of the street lamps. Goosebumps rushed across your wet skin as you stepped accidentally into another puddle with your sloppy flip-flops. At this point, you were soaked to the bone. Not wearing anything but your pajamas was a horrible idea in this weather. At least you could have grabbed any of those 24 coats that have been hanging next to the door. But no, you lost your control and without thinking, you just ran away, not imagining about the consequences.

Now, your most priority was to find a warm and dry place. But where? It must have been around 3 am, so only clubs could have been open this time. And to be honest, they were not on your list of 'The places where you wanted to be right now.' Fearing that some old dude would pick you up, you chose to think about somewhere else. Actually, there was a place for you to go... Dr. Fletcher's apartment. Did you want to go there though? Visiting her in the middle of the night, crying your ass off to her so that you could get her pity? It didn't sound like a welcoming idea either, but honestly, you didn't have any other choices. 

Now she was the only person that you could turn to.

Temple heavily pounding, thanks to a painful headache you had, you entered the park towards the therapist's apartment. Your arms were embracing your frozen arms with the hope of serving you at least a bit of warmth in this chilling storm. It felt like, that even nature itself wanted to punish you, but for what? For being naive? You were naive to give Dennis another chance when you could have just run away. You were naive to trust him that he would change. He managed t capture you twice.

First by force, then by love.

Your heart ached just thinking of this, making gross tears slide down on your already wet cheeks. Then, to a sudden thought, a bittersweet smile crept on your lips. Your dad would have surely forbidden you to date Dennis. He has always been overly protective when you were young. Later, he probably wouldn't have let his guard down either and would have kept an eye on you even more just to keep you safe. To protect you from the disappointment that he had to experience as well when your mother had left him. Hilariously though, even while he was like this, he couldn't notice when your uncle started abusing you. Maybe he was blind by that asshole's fake kindness... And your dad was so blind for months, that he could do whatever he wanted to without any consequences... You felt sick whenever you recalled what happened to you under his hands.

You hoped he would rot behind the bars forever. 

You stopped for a minute and glanced to that particular bench that you could relate so many memories. When the two of you were sitting there, after that twisted date you were so excited about. He was listening carefully every word of yours as you told him about your past. He was there when no one was. He cared there when no one did. You trusted him enough to share a piece of you with him... And he accepted them with high care, promising he wouldn't tell this to anyone. 

You believed him.

And after that, he kissed you on that bench. Cautiously, like he was dealing with some kind of fragile flower with his hands. But you still felt his passion in that. The passion which you thought later was love. When he asked you to be his girlfriend in this same park, you were over the moon. 

You believed in your relationship..

Developing it slowly step by step, you helped each other in any way you could. And he helped you at your darkest points when he let you cry in his arms in the middle of the night after a horrible nightmare of your abuse. He was there embracing you lovingly, whispering that everything would be alright. You thought this was real. His absolute love towards you.

You believed in his love...

The appearance of a sudden, blurred shape in the distance pushed you out of this depressing train of thoughts. Somebody was also around here. Probably just some poor homeless, who couldn't find any place to hide from the storm either, yet considering the clothes you were wearing, you preferred not to encounter them anyway. So instead, you decided to move on which was definitely not a bad idea with your current health. An unwelcomed sneeze made you sure of the importance of this. 

Thus slowly but consistently you started walking forward the only place where you could be welcomed warmly. The place where your only supporter has been. Dr. Fletcher. You knew you had to go the therapist at this point. And you did so.

You were on the way to have a long conversation. 

After around 10 minutes, you shakily pushed the bell in the dull lighted stairway. Much to your surprise, the main entrance was open since someone has left it like that before. At least your luck was on your side. Still embracing your arms, you tried to warm yourself up without any success. You were cold, just too cold at this point. And really tired. If she didn't open the door, you might as well just sat down at the entrance and fell asleep. You didn't care about anyone anymore. You just needed peace.

Though this wasn't the case now.

With a loud creak, the wooden door slowly opened, letting a bright ray of light rush through its small gap. "Who's that?" Asked the cautious voice behind the timber object, which made your already frozen spine shiver. Swallowing down your pumping heart from your throat, you wanted to answer, but nothing came out. You felt so shameful, you didn't dare to even greet the therapist.

To be honest you just wanted to disappear right here, right now.

"Hello- Oh my god!" The woman shrieked, opening the entrance broadly to let you in. But you didn't move. You just stood there, emptiness showing from your eyes. A sudden anxiety rushed you down, making you question every action you did whether they were good or not. You didn't know those answers anymore. Dr. Fletcher, after seeing that you didn't move an inch, grabbed carefully your trembling arm to drag you in. "Dear... what happened to you? What were you doing outside at this hour?" and she worriedly looked away, fearing to ask her last question "Where's Dennis..?"

As soon as you heard the man's name, something moved inside of you. Something.. A feeling that hurt like nothing else before. The physical pain seemed like a dull sting next to this feeling. And the worst thing was that you couldn't get rid of it in any way. You knew this was a scar that only someone else could have healed. But you couldn't get this from that person anymore.

This pain was unbearable.

Without changing your blank expression, tears quickly gathered in your eyes and slid down on your red cheeks like little streams. Then your forehead bitterly furrowed as you quietly let out a broken sob, letting the river of tears and sadness get over you. "Oh my, my.. Come here." The woman shushed you softly, as she reached out for a hug after realizing the seriousness of the problem. And you almost fell into her embrace with desperate crying. Shaking, and trembling at every inhale, you were embracing the woman weakly.

"I-I m-messed up." you let it out in a broken tone, feeling more tears to slide out. "I-I should have n-never been t-this naive. I messed u-up so much!" You stuttered out, making the therapist even more confused.

"It's fine my child, everything's fine." She caressed your trembling back as she answered in a soft tone. "Please calm down."

"I'm such an idiot!" you blubbed it out desperately, trying to stop your crying but that inner scar didn't let you do that. It didn't make your pain less, just even worse. Then you had a huge inhale to at least slow down your racing heart. "I should have listened t-to Barry.." You stuttered out almost inaudibly, but the woman still was able to catch it.

"Barry? How is Barry, related to this?" She asked it confusedly, almost to herself, because she hardly heard her through your sobs. Thus after a few more caress, she tried to approach the topic from another direction. "Dear, you look horrible like this. Please have a cup of hot tea and take a shower or else you'll get seriously sick."

"I-I'm.." you started but she intervened into your words that she already knew.

"Please, for me. I hate to see you like this. Or at least let me give you some warm blanket first."

You parted your lips but, instead of refusing her again, you showed the woman a faded but grateful smile. "...Alright, thank you."

Her face brightened up to your answer "Good, please wait here a bit." And she let you go to get the necessary material. The sudden disappearance of her warmth made you a bit anxious again, but she quickly made her way back to you with a soft gray blanket on her arm. According to the splashes on her nightgown, you were sure you this was caused by her previous hug. 

"Sorry, I ruined your clothes.." you mentioned it in a weak tone, but she just waved on it calmly.

"It'll dry, so don't worry. We will stay up a bit more anyway." She hoped that you would tell her everything, you could feel it the way she was speaking. Well, you planned to do that anyway. You needed to let these hurtful feelings get out of your chest quickly.

The therapist covered you up with the dry cloth, hoping that it would warm you up. Feeling the soft material on your skin made you calm down a bit, thankfully your tears also stopped so only those red swollen up eyes of yours could indicate to your previous breakdown. The old woman decided to make you a cup of hot tea even despite your first refuse, but to be honest, you were thankful for her caring. She didn't ask you during the midnight cooking, letting you gather up your thoughts about all that happened. You had many things to talk about. Those things that you decided to keep inside even though they were slowly devastating you. Thoughts about Dennis and Patricia and... mostly Barry.

You wanted to tell her everything.

And when she came back with the hot mug in her hands, you didn't keep anything back. You started from the very beginning. Back from your time in the basement. Even that you decided not to ever recall it again, now you felt, that it was the time to match everything to one another. And she was just listening to you carefully, asking a question once in a while but all in all, she didn't disturb your train of thoughts.

And you didn't stop talking.

Starting from his behavior back then, you didn't fear to mention his early harassment, when his early intentions were to slowly strip you by taking away your clothes as punishments. Such a way to start your story time wasn't it..? At first, you felt a bit embarrassed by telling these things to the therapist but seeing Dr. Fletcher's indifferent expression, yours also calmed down.They even turned to blank and inexpressive as you got really deep with the fact. After all, these were the past now, you shouldn't have thought anything special into them. Saying out everything that happened, you felt like they were dragging out all of your emotions as well. By every single sentence, your tone flattened, and the sad light disappeared from your eyes. And later, nothing left. Even later mentioning the beast himself, it couldn't move you anymore. 

You felt empty.

Slowly, as you got forward with the 'plot' of the story, looking back at it now, everything seemed to make a perfect sense. His sudden behavior change, or even that deal... This one still stung a little bit though. Those anxious feelings that haunted you back then, they came back for a minute just to remind you about them. That time you were afraid that Dennis helped you to deal with your problems, because of.. this, not because he liked you. These thoughts consumed you from inside, but with his confession made you forget any of this. You were sure his feelings were true, but after seeing his hidden intentions now, you didn't know what to believe anymore. Maybe everything he did was just the part of his plan to gain your undoubting trust. To seduce you, to make you stay with him as his companion. 

Guess what, he was successful...

...These thoughts made you depressed again.

At last, you directed the topic towards Barry. How long he has been trying to convince you to search for evidence. On your first date, when everything went wrong as the police arrived looking for you. Through even Jade, when the time was too suspicious for him to come out himself. Then, again and again, he appeared from time to time to remind you of the danger. You didn't listen to him. You should have had. 

______________________________

You didn't know how long you had been talking but the hot tea you've got was almost cold at the time you finished the story. It was.. weird to recall everything. As a memory. Bad or not, you couldn't really decide it anymore. Because now, the facts you knew deformed even those memories that you believed were the best. Your eyes have been staring the floor, you only glanced up once in a while just to check if the therapist was still paying attention. And she did, always, not looking away just analyzing you and your reactions quietly. She was a good listener.

"So.. that's why I'm here now..." You said it out listlessly, slurping into the tea. Yup, it became cold.

The woman didn't answer anything at first, but then she sighed. "God... I feel so bad. And responsible in a way."

"You shouldn't." you answered almost mechanically. "It was not your fault at all that this happened."

"Partly I am. I should have expected Dennis that he wouldn't give up his obsession so easily..." 

"Well... Most likely I wouldn't have listened to you anyway."

Hearing your tone, it broke Dr. Fletcher's heart. She could easily see that you've given up at this point, and to be honest, could she blame you for that? This situation was messed up, even she didn't really know what to do if she had been you. Thinking about how crushed you were inside just made her heart twist even more. Maybe the best thing to do at the moment was just to let you alone a bit. You looked like someone who felt more comfortable alone when the time needed.

"Dear, I think it would be the best for you to sleep." she changed the topic, hoping that it would pull you off your current mood.

You looked up at her, eyes filled with emptiness. You didn't say anything at first, but then you gave her a small nod. "Alright. And.. thank you for listening to me..."

"Thank you for telling me all of this. I feel honored." She answered quickly, standing up from her chair, now a bit more relievedly. At least you weren't stubborn and obeyed her. Probably because you were tired of fighting back anymore. 

Her response made you let out a weak smile, but it looked more forced than honest in that moment. Maybe it truly was. You tried to describe what emotion you were having... but you just couldn't. You've never felt anything like this before. 

And actually, this terrified you.

The therapist quickly searched for a towel and a nightgown for you to have at least something to use while you were staying with her. After getting the materials, you thanked her quietly, then went straight into the bathroom. Getting rid of all of your still moist clothes, you felt a kind of freedom rushing through your skin. You let out a shaky sigh in front of the mirror. But a weird feeling hit you as you looked at the girl on the other side of the mirror. So many things happened in such a brief period of time... For a while, you thought you found the right way. And the right man, who you could count on and give this support back whenever he needed it. To complete each other. You thought this way was written for you to move forward. But now... you didn't know what to do. Where to go... Now you didn't even know who you were anymore....

Was this the fate that you deserved?

You didn't spend much time under the shower. Anxious thoughts wanted to rush you down, but instead, you shushed them away by just concentrating on the wet liquid as it was sliding down on your skin. You felt cold, to be honest, but your forehead seemed like it was on fire, so it didn't take much to guess you got sick. Spending your time under such circumstances, you didn't have to be Sherlock to conclude this by yourself. Yet, you decided not to tell this to Dr. Fletcher, since this little problem seemed even smaller next to everything else at the moment. You would rest it out anyway.

So not paying attention to your aching head, and sore throat, you directed your way to your 'old bedroom'. Before closing the door, you turned back to the dining room and said goodnight to Dr. Fletcher. She was cleaning the mugs next to the sink, but after hearing your voice, she glanced towards you with a smile. You wondered if it was forced or not. But of course, you could just imagine this all to yourself.

You turned down the lights, and lied on the bed, covering yourself from chin to toe. This room itself gave you so many memories too. You remembered when you couldn't sleep and decided to talk with Dennis instead. You were so nervous actually... but happy, definitely happy. And hopeful. His voice could calm you down after a nightmare, but now this seemed so fake and tactical... Was he honest with you at all? You remembered when you asked him what he was doing on his computer. Of course, he avoided to answer, but he was most likely working on his project that time too... So obvious, now that you thought about it. Yet, you couldn't think that far to find it out... You were blind as well. 

Just like your father.

Closing your eyes, you turned to your side with a heavy sigh. You felt a lonely tear slide down on your face. Now nobody could see you. In the darkness, you were alone. Finally, you were allowed to cry again... You just wished that this was a dream. A really bad nightmare, yet it would end eventually and everything would be the same.

Although, sadly you had to tell the dark truth to yourself.

That it was a nightmare which you couldn't wake up from.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> //Hey Guys!~☆
> 
> So.. I decided to drop a slower chapter now, because oh boy, messed up things happened. So yeah...
> 
> I can't really comment anything to this one besides of its obvious dark and depressed mood... I have everything planned out tho! So please, just wait for the next ones, they're on the way~☆
> 
> Thank you for sticking with me this long. You don't even know how much I appreciate it! ♡//


	38. Chapter 38

When you opened your eyes, it must have been already morning. White foggy ray of light was floating through the window, spreading across the whole bedroom to lighten it up. Remembering what happened last night, your heart twisted nervously. Thinking back, everything felt like a nightmare. Yet, you knew it wasn't, and waking up in Dr. Fletcher's apartment just proved it as well...

You let out a heavy sigh and wanted to get out, but a sore feeling in your throat made you stop. It was hard to breathe next to this pain, not to mention the urges of sudden coughs which would have ended up hurting your throat anyway. Besides, you felt through your pumping temple, that you most likely still had your headache from yesterday. Not that you would be surprised though, nobody told you to go out into the freezing storm to get yourself sick. It was your fault.. at least mostly. 

Gathering up all your strength, you swept away the blanket and sat up. The air around you felt freezing now that you lost your warm surroundings. But as soon as you put your feet down to the cold floor, a sound from outside stopped you. It came from the front door, according to the entrance bell that rang just a second ago. Someone must have visited Dr. Fletcher, probably one of her patients. At least this was what you thought until a muffled, cold claim sneaked through the door.

"I've been expecting you to come here, Dennis."

The name froze your whole body, pooling up an anxious feeling in your stomach. You didn't want to meet him. At least not here and not now. You weren't ready enough to even just look into his eyes. Everything from yesterday hurt still so much... That's why you didn't plan to meet him yet. And therefore you decided not to. But this didn't mean you couldn't spy on what they were talking about. After all, you wanted to know what was in Dennis' mind, and he might have been more honest if you were not around.

So with some slow, careful steps, you walked to the timber door to hear them more clearly even if they lowered their voice.

"Is she's here?"

"Yeah, she's sleeping. She came here after you persecuted out from your apartment." You could hear from the therapist's cold tone that she was not impressed at all.

"This is what she told you?"

"Well, not exactly, but technically, you did make her run away by scaring her to death." She answered to the man's question, but before he could have said anything, the woman already continued "I'm curious about something, Dennis. Can you tell me what was in your mind when you started again your murderous project?"

A bit of silence followed her previous interrogation "May I come in?" He asked finally with an inhale but it seemed more likely that he decided to avoid answering the therapist's question.

"No." She gave the brief rejection "I don't want you to be here now. And she neither."

"Although I was planning to talk with her. You know that this is why I'm here now."

"You're the last person she wants to see now, I hope you know that." She snapped at him coldly "Can you even imagine how betrayed she's feeling at the moment? You were her everything, and now she feels like you were just playing with her."

"I didn't!" He raised his voice huffily "I wanted to help her, to give her everything, and I still do!"

"You're not allowed to shout in this apartment, Dennis." The woman responded in a calm yet strict voice which silenced him. "Then I ask you again. Why couldn't you learn from the past? You wanted to kill her at first and almost managed to, because you thought she was a so-called 'Impure' should I say. If she hadn't been abused in her childhood, she would already be dead. By your hands. Because you were the one who unleashed that monster."

"Please don't bring this up again..-" He intervened quietly, but this didn't stop the lady to tell him her thoughts.

"No, let me finish. You have to hear this or else you'll never learn from your mistake." she sighed then continued "And after that, you got forgiven by her despite that she'd got kidnapped and locked away for days. Can't you see how much this showed about her kind heart? She gave you a second chance even when you didn't deserve it at all. She saw through the terrifying mask that you'd been wearing and noticed the good in you. And she trusted you enough to let you help her, to follow you, to be with you, to love you. Her character went through a huge development, yet YOU couldn't even get from step 1 to step 2. You didn't even try to get rid of your sick obsession - because let me tell you, sacrificing young girls to a hazardous monster is sick - and you have no excuse for doing this."

The therapist stopped, but Dennis couldn't answer at first either. Most likely thanks to the cold statements she said, he startled and fell into silence. You swallowed nervously to this tense atmosphere. You've never seen Dr. Fletcher like this. She was so cold, yet practical with her facts that she could have shamed you to the ground so easily if she'd wanted to. You were grateful that she was on your side this time.

"You're so quiet now, what happened?" She asked having false irony in her tone. "Did you finally realize that you took everything away from her? Because you just couldn't give up your rotten kink? Can you even imagine how much suffering did you cause to her?"

"Don't say more..." Now it was Dennis' time to let out a broken, bitter beg. Wow, she was cruel in her own professional way. She was really good at making people guilty. You were amazed and terrified at the same time.

"I just want you to realize the weight of your mistake. Because even know, I can't see you that regretted expression that you should have now..."

A longer pause fell into the conversation. It seemed like Dr.Fletcher was waiting for the man's response while he was thinking about the possible words he could answer. Was it that hard for Dennis's to admit his mistake? You really hoped that it was not the case. You wanted to believe in this.

"I.. can see now." Could be heard his voice as he slowly and bitterly formed out his sentences. Then you felt something else too in his voice. Something.. depressed. "You know.." he continued with a sigh which you unconsciously assumed that came out with a smile "Maybe we are crazy... Maybe... we should all die."

"Dennis..?" Asked the therapist with now growing concern "What are you talking about?"

"The world will never accept people like us. We will always be the one that others will stay away from. We never had a chance for acceptance... and never will. Then why is it worth to live?"

Your heart squeezed hearing his words.. It hurt so much to hear him like this. You've never expected to find out this side of his and now, you felt all of your anger fly away, leaving forgiveness and sorry in its place. Yet, you didn't dare to move, to run out into his arms. What if... he was just playing again? You didn't know what to believe anymore. Yet, just thinking about in this possibility made you feel horrible.

"Oh no, Dennis..no this is wrong." Dr. Fletcher replied, now having a much softer tone in her voice. "You can't just throw everything away now... Dennis, could I ask you something? Will you answer me?" According to the silence, he must have nodded to her. "If you had one wish, what would it be?"

Another pause came, a not so long one.

But then what you heard broke your heart in pieces.

"I just.. want her to forgive me... to be with me again.. I'm so sorry.. s-so s-sorry..."

He was crying, and you were too.

"You still love her, don't you?" The therapist asked him gently, now clearly with supporting purpose in her voice.

"I-I love h-her. I-I've always had."

Tears slid down on your cheeks in a quick stream as you muffled yourself from letting out your loud sobs. You leaned your back against the wall as you slowly lowered down to the ground. There, shakily embracing your knees, you closed your eyes as you put your head onto them letting out a broken sob. You did too, you still loved him. Even if you felt broken, you couldn't be angry at him.

You loved him so much.

These burst out sobs make you forget about that conversation outside. As Dr. Fletcher calmed Dennis down with now warmth having in her actions, and told him that everything would work out. You were broken, but he was too, fearing that he had lost you forever. But the therapist kept saying him that if he was consistent and would ask you, again and again, you would forgive him eventually. And she was right, you would have done this on your own as well.

But anyway, these words couldn't reach you anymore. You were too deep inside, fighting against your own feelings. It was hard... really hard, but you had to fight alone now.

Nobody could save you, only yourself.

_____________________________________

The next days that followed this unwelcomed event felt like eternity, hours after hours, minutes after minutes, they all seemed like they would never end. Your sickness got worse, but you didn't leave your room, only once in a while when you went out to the bathroom. Dr. Fletcher always asked you to come and join to eat with her, but your answer was always the same: a kind refusal. You didn't have an appetite. Instead, your stomach was in a constant twist thanks to the depressed thoughts that hit you from time to time. You felt bad. Not just physically but mentally as well. And you've fallen into a hellish circle where you couldn't escape: you didn't want to eat until you got better, but you didn't get better until you started taking care of yourself.

To be honest, you should have felt regret to make the therapist worried. She genuinely worried about you, trying to help just by leaving a plate of warm food at the door of your room. With some kind note, like: 'please take care of your health.'  But no, that selfish side of yours had taken over you again, separating yourself from everyone to escape into your own safe world. You took every one of her care granted, even if you knew that to just one word you could lose everything. Well, at this point what more could you lose? Nothing.

Hearing your muffled crying through the door broke the old woman's heart. It might have sounded pathetic, but you couldn't help but let out these depressed feelings in the form of tears. They would have done more harm if you had kept them inside. Only one thing - or more specifically one person - could have healed this deep wound, but you were still not ready enough to talk with him. You weren't even ready enough to open up to the world.

Dr. Fletcher though, she couldn't wait for more. She didn't want to see you suffer for any longer. After seeing that her warm words and cares didn't reach your ears, she decided to do something that would make an impact on you too.

By calling someone, that you would listen to.

____________________________________

 The bell of the front door has rung.  

Lying on the bed, covered with the warm blanket, you were scrolling down on your phone, reading news blankly. At least during your stay here in these days, you got back some of your stuff when Dennis decided to visit you - well, Dr. Fletcher since you never came out of your room those times. Of course, he came here several times with the hope to talk to you, but it always ended up with your pure ignorance and rejection. Now it was your time to make the decisions. You were playing a risky game... but the winning cards seemed to be in your hands - or at least this was what you hoped for.

So at this point, you didn't even care to get out of the bed and spy on the visitor. Maybe you should have, though, because this time was not like the others. Because Dr. Fletcher decided to grab the leadership into her hands. 

"Ah, you're here Dennis. You were fast." The therapist's voice floated through your room's door. If you kept being quiet, you could hear clearly what they were talking about. You glanced towards the source of the noise but didn't make much effort to pay attention to the speaker. He was here again, great... Maybe you became stubborn, but you still didn't think it was the time to see the man yet.

"I came as soon as I got your message. What is it?"

"I think I found a way for you to win her trust back." 

You stopped for a second, wondering if you heard the therapist right. Did she ask him to come here...?

"Well tell me then!" The man answered almost in a desperately impatient tone. He must have been waiting for this moment since the beginning.

"First, please calm down, and listen." she said with a sigh "I know you won't be happy to hear this, but I don't think there's anything else you could do at the moment."

"Dr. Fletcher, you know that I would do anything! So don't make me wait... please." His voice weakened at the end of his sentence which made your heart squeeze bitterly. Leaving your phone, you turned your head to the door with a swallow and listened carefully to what the woman offered.

"Let Barry use the light. I know that you are the one who's in charge."

"B-But.." slipped out the instant rejection from the man's lips as a reflex which caused the woman's frown.

"Didn't you just say you would do anything..?" She asked with an unsatisfied tone.

"Yeah, I'm just-"  

"Then stop complaining." The therapist shushed him not giving any chance. Regardless of her cold tone, she was just as strict as the first time Dennis came here. "You know that she only listens to him. Don't even try to convince me of anything else."

A small pause followed her answer, probably indicating the understanding of the other one. Your heart started pounding faster to the thought that they might actually call Barry to talk with you. Were they seriously worrying about you to do this? And Dennis? He hated Barry more than anyone else... He couldn't let him come here... no way. You were not prepared for this conversation. At all.

"Alright." Could the grumpy, but resigned answer be heard finally. "I'll do it, but only for her."

"And trust me Dennis, it will be worth it."

Holding back your breaths, you pinned your regards to the source of the discussion outside, waiting impatiently to hear any changes. And your heart skipped a beat after a familiar tone filtered through the entrance.

"...Dr. Fletcher? What...-"

"Ah Barry, it's so good to see you." The woman's voice softened, as she started explaining in a much warmer tone now. "You must have a lot of questions. But I don't want to hold you for too long. I need your help actually."

"Anything for you, Doctor." He responded in a second, having still that confused voice of his.

"I could tell you the story, but we would sit here through the whole day, so I'll just say it straight. You were right."

A small pause came, which was followed his probable confused frown. "Wait, what do you mean?

"Your bad feeling about Dennis.." she sighed hardly "Your suspicions. That he was about to do something horrible."

"Oh my... where is she?! You can't say that she's-" He asked suddenly with a worrying drop in his tone, which made your heart sink bitterly.

"Calm down Barry, everything's fine. She's in this room and... this is what I need your help with. Please talk to her."

"..Of course, Dr. Fletcher."

Cold sweat stroke through your spine as the realization hit you that he was just about to going in, for real. You wanted to get up and at least put a pullover on, but a sudden dizziness stopped you thanks to your still weak body. You made a grab at your head and with the attempt to comfort the burst ache, and.. this was when your friend knocked on the door. He was polite and didn't come in without permission, so you had to get up and open the entrance for him. With a deep inhale, you gathered your strength and got out of the warm cover and walked to the door. The cold air made you tremble. You definitely had a fever, but you decided to ignore it. Halfway, not knowing a better solution, you grabbed a fluffy blanket from the armchair in the corner and put that on your shoulder, covering up yourself with it. You could already feel his worried expression on your pale face and baggy eyes. Now you officially looked like someone who was on her death.

With a weak grab, you pushed down the handle to open the gap. You decided to ignore everything that you heard now, making you look uninformed about his intentions.  To be honest, you were afraid of this conversation. Because you didn't know what reaction he could pull out of you with his questions. 

"Yeah? Who's this?" you spoke out quietly, looking through the small gap you made. Your regard instantly met with the man's which made your heart squeeze painfully.

"Dear, I am Barry." he showed you a smile, though it seemed more to a forced one. You could even see the fade light of some worry too, just as you expected. "I hope I don't bother you much. I would like to have a short talk with you if you don't mind it. May I come in?"

Short, huh sure. You knew he just said this so that he could soften you. You could have rejected him as well, but a hidden feeling told you not to. So without a word, you broadened the gap, to let him into your little cave. 

And he stepped inside, looking around silently. You could see a small grimace on his face smelling the used up air. You admitted, that you should have opened the windows at least this morning. Besides that quick pout, he didn't seem to care much about the surroundings, since his eyes moved at you now with a much softer expression. "How are you, Darling? To be honest you didn't really look..-"

"Fine?" you finished his dry question, with an ironic smile. "As you can see, I'm... not at the top at the moment." That false smile stayed on your face, which made your friend's heart weigh. "I got sick, and I try to get better, but this time it's not that easy, you know."

"If you don't eat well, then you won't make it easy either." You widened your eyes at him wondering where he could know this from. Because they surely didn't talk anything like this. Like he could read you sudden confusion, he quickly explained himself "I saw a full plate of breakfast being untouched in front of your door." 

Oh.. Dr. Fletcher must have prepared it for you again...

This thought made your heart sink. Biting your lower lip you looked away guiltily "I'm kind of having a hard time with eating nowadays. But it's gonna work out eventually."

"Please, put your health into first priority. Nothing can be more important than that."

You looked down at the wooden floor with the same faded expression, not saying anything. Maybe it would have been wiser if you just lied furthermore that you'll try that, but now a sudden feeling stopped you. This... guilt you were feeling... It suddenly became so strong that it had taken over you.

"Is there any chance" The man continued after seeing that you wouldn't respond anything on your own. "that your hard time is somehow related to a bad event that happened not so long ago?"

Oh how carefully he was approaching this topic... He surely thought that if he messes up then you wouldn't tell him anything. Maybe he was right... But you actually started to want to talk with him too. Having another supporter who you could share your pain seemed like a good idea, to be honest. 

With a small nod, you indicated that he was right.

He paused for a moment, looking away thoughtfully. There, again, he was thinking about a cautious way to ask you the question you already knew. This time it seemed better to just ease his job and tell him everything straightforward. Every tense moment only made your heart sink lower and lower, making you more pain.

"I'm.." You started quietly, bringing the attention of your partner instantly to your face. "actually glad that you came here." He raised a brow questioningly, but you continued before he could have said anything "I... wanted to apologize."

"For what?" He asked still in a confused tone.

"For not believing you..." Your voice quietened as the expression on your face slowly broke, showing your hidden feelings inside. You felt weak, so weak suddenly, that you couldn't hide back behind that mask you'd been wearing. "I'm sorry, I should have..." saying this, you noticed how a single tear broke the barrier, sliding down on your cheeks. Though it definitely wasn't lonely, because right after it other ones came onto the road as well.

"Oh, Dear.. no" he approached you with worry and warmth in his tone, taking your hands to squeeze it /bíztatóan/. "No, this is not your fault. Please don't feel like this, it breaks my heart to see you crying. Last time I saw you this lost was when you tried to run away in the basement. I don't want to ever see that expression of yours again. Please don't cry..."

"B-But if I just.. listen to you.. I-I messed it up, Barry."

"Shhh come here, come here.." he said gently and pulled you into a hug. This one was optimistic and confident not like the one back in the shopping mall, showing you how comfortable he got about the two of your relationship. Now he could truly behave like a friend. "This is how it was supposed to happen. I shouldn't have asked you to do such a two-faced betray that you did for me. You spied on the one person who you loved the most, this is something that a lot of people wouldn't have done. I'm so sorry, I shouldn't have expected you to follow me. It's not your fault..."

You squeezed the grab on his back, loudly sobbing into his shoulders. It hurt you so much actually, feeling the constant worry and doubt that Barry planted into you from the beginning. You didn't know who you should believe, and the pressure that came from his side slowly destroyed you inside. But hearing that he was sorry about all of this made your heart a bit relieved. To know that he didn't want to pressure you in the first place.

"I'm s-so lost, Barry... I-I don't know what to d-do anymore.." You admitted finally to your friend desperately hoping that he could help you.

"What do you mean?" He asked calmly yet curiously while giving some strokes on your back in order to stop your depressed tears' flooding.

Having a big inhale, you tried to comfort the uncontrollable sobs with some mild success "I just.. I don't know what to believe anymore... I don't know what is true and what is false. I don't know anything anymore..."

"Then.." he started after a short pause "Could you tell me what happened on that certain night? I can't help you otherwise."

Pulling away yourself from the man you looked at him with a serious expression and after a second of silence, you answered. "I think we should sit down for this."

And the storytime began once again.

_____________________________________

You were shorter this time, not describing everything and giving comments to every single event that happened to you, instead, you decided to make a shorter and more dynamic version that could still catch his attention. That was not hard though, he was listening eagerly to every one of your words, nodding and grimacing but never breaking your storytime. He was actually grateful that you decided to share your story with him, so he enjoyed having the possibility to hear it from you.

You could see in his eyes that your story made him wonder about many things. That familiar thoughtful sparkling shined up once in a while when you said something that could make him think furthermore. But all in all, he kept himself from bothering you, so you actually quickly finished your heartbreaking, almost soap opera story.

"So, that's it.. I guess." you shrugged unemotionally, looking at the wooden floor again that you kept staring during your storytime.

"I don't really know what to say actually." he answered quietly, being flattered. "I am sorry.. It is my fault that things turned out this way."

"No don't apologize. Honestly, I'm thankful that you didn't give up warning me from Dennis. I don't dare to imagine what would have happened if I don't find out his plan." You showed him a smile which started out as a reassuring but quickly turned into a bittersweet one.

"Still.. Dear, I..."

"Don't pressure yourself. I'm fine... really." You were lying, and you noticed he knew it too. But he didn't mention it, the man was only realizing you bitterly, thinking the perfect response he could say. There was no such answer at the current moment though. So instead, he brought up a topic, that made you out off guard.

"You still love him, do you?"

You looked up suddenly, startled by his question. "..What?" You exactly heard what he asked, yet hoped that you were wrong. 

He giggled, looking away for a second. "I can see it in your eyes. The ray of hope. You are actually hoping that this would be still just a bad dream, right? So that you could wake like nothing happened."

You returned his giggle with yours. It was a sad, resigned one. "I'm pathetic, am I?" you sighed painfully "Now I can't even do anymore the thing that I was the best at. Hiding my feelings."

"No Dear, showing a lie to the others will not reach anywhere. It is better to show your sad but true self than a happy but truthless lie."

You took a deep breath like you were preparing for your biggest confession. Which was definitely not it. "...I still love him. More than anything. And the pain that I'm feeling... is bigger than anything I've ever felt." Biting your lip, you quietened your tone, feeling suddenly weak and vulnerable. "I just.. I wish I could wake up eventually. Like you said."

Barry gave you an understanding regard, then took your hand for a reassuring squeeze. You lifted up your head, to look into his eyes. Those eyes showed so much strength and sympathy comparing to your emtpy and lost ones. "I want you to be happy. And I can see that you can only be happy with Dennis. So if that is the case, I want everything to work out with the two of you."

"Thank you.. But at the moment, I don't know how this will happen, to be honest."

"Didn't you think about talking with him?" He raised his brows questioningly as he asked this painfully easy-seeming question.

"Of course I did." You answered confusedly "But... I'm afraid that he's still... you know... playing."

"Well" he showed you a smile "Then maybe you should ask someone else before." Frowning, you looked at him silently. Understanding your muted confusion, he explained it quickly. "Dennis doesn't have many personalities who like him, but Patricia was always faithful to him. I don't like her, but I know she would tell you the truth."

"Do you think so..?" You responded with a question you already knew its answer. But at the moment you wanted to stay as careful as possible.

"Of course. Dear." he said, still having that calm on his face. "She's someone I do believe you could trust in a situation like this."

"Well then.. could you?" You answered, feeling a sudden gulp gathering in your stomach again to the appearing nerve. He nodded and wanted to change, but you quickly stopped him before losing him "Wait a minute." You reached to his shoulder, which made him look at you. "Thank you so much, Barry. For everything."

He seemed a bit surprised for the sudden thank-you, but then his lips curled into a soft smile as he pulled you into his warm hug. 

"Always."

Then he let you go and closed his eyes.

One inhale and another, and he was gone.

Patricia came instead.

After opening her eyes, her expression looked a bit startled seeing you in the first place. "Oh, Darling." she commented quietly "I wasn't expecting you to be here. I mean myself, more exactly." 

"I wanted to talk to you."

"About Dennis right?" She intervened with a much softer tone now.

"Yeah.." your response was weak, but you decided to move forward if you already got here. "Since you are close to him, I wanted you to answer."

The woman gave you a smile like she was already sure what you were about to say. "Is that so? Then I can reassure you: his feelings were always true and honest when it came to you."

Your eyes widened "How did you-"

"I can read your mind, Darling. It's written on your face." If two people said it then it must have been true. 

This made you chuckle, which went into a bitter expression. "And.. what about the project?"

"He never wanted to hurt you.. I mean, after he knew the truth about you. He wanted to protect you, at any cost. It's just, that he misunderstood the world."

"To protect me?" You raised a brow confusedly 

"I can't explain his exact intentions. At the end, I wanted to stop him myself too. But I know he wanted the best for you. The only one who can give you the perfect answers is him."

You swallowed nervously. This was what you were afraid of. You knew this was the time for that you face this fear, but still felt so unprepared. "And how would I know that he tells me the truth?"

Patricia frowned in a slight disbelief "Honey, he loves you from the bottom of his heart. And I know you know that. You might have trust issues now which I can understand because what we've done was unforgivable... but I truly wish you could trust him again. He's in great pain as well... thinking that he could never get you back. He knows that he made a huge mistake, and he's afraid he couldn't make it right. Talk to him. And then, you can decide if you want to him or not."

Looking away, you sighed heavily. Your mind was turning from the stress that pressured you inside. Deep inside your heart, you really hoped she was right.

"You don't have to talk about him now." she continued "But I suggest you set a day when you could talk about this. It would give him a ray of hope, and I'm pretty sure you would be satisfied with the answer you would get later."

This was actually not a bad idea. First thing first, you still had this annoying sickness that bothered you from concentrating on the important things that went through your life, so you had to get rid of it as soon as possible. After that, you might have felt even ready yourself to have this talk with Dennis. You could mentally prepare yourself as well.

"Then..." you started thoughtfully "Could you transmit to him this? That I want to talk to him when I'm feeling better. Maybe not tomorrow, but I'll send him a message that I want to meet him. Could you, Patricia?"

"Of course, he'll be happy." she smiled at you softly. "I don't want to bother much, I guess you already feel upset about our stay. I can assure he'll be eagerly waiting for that message."

"Thank you Patricia." you smiled back, but she just waved at you.

"It's nothing. I almost got used to your stay in our house, it would be a shame to lose you now." She giggled gently, and you did as well. It was a rare compliment from her that you supposed to accept, so you did. 

Saying goodbye to the woman, you were quickly left alone in the room one more time. But honestly, you felt better. Much better. For a moment you even felt that your sickness was gone thanks to the good vibes that spread through your body. Even if you didn't want to, Patricia made you believe in Dennis, even if just a bit more.

You were hopeful once again. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> //Hey Guys~☆  
> I'm sorry for the delay, but! I brought you a long-ass chapter this time~☆ (officially my longest one!) Hope it didn't turn out too action lacked lol
> 
> I actually messed up my previous draft, so I had to add it to this... and this is how it grew so big. 
> 
> But I'm still on the road with you, so thank you for all the support I get! You're still amazing, all of you, I hope you know that!~☆
> 
> See you in the next one!♡//


	39. Chapter 39

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Just wanted a quick apology for disappearing again... I'm sorry and I feel guilty for letting you down again. So as an apology I brought you a fat 7000-word long chapter! For more info, read my post chapter notes:)

Patricia kept her promise, and neither she or the others came over after your last conversation. Your recovery was slow and days passed until eventually, you could feel better. To be honest, you couldn't wait for that day. You wanted to finally talk to Dennis and hopefully finish this chapter of your life as positively as possible. You couldn't help but believe for the better. Maybe you started becoming naive again, but you didn't really care anymore. You wanted someone to answer your questions and the only one person who could do this was Dennis.

Meanwhile, your relationship got better with Dr.Fletcher after that you opened up to her again, finally accepting her care. This definitely helped you to get over your horrible sickness as well. She treated you well, yet the healing process was so slow that you thought for a moment that it was not just a casual common cold. You didn't want to imagine what could have happened if you'd had to take care of yourself alone. You were grateful for her even if she said this was nothing, to begin with. She unconsciously became a kind of mother figure in your life that you've never had. And this thought warmed you up from the bottom of your heart.

You told the therapist Patricia's idea about reaching Dennis, and she actually supported this as well. Everyone wanted the two of you to get back together, you could feel it. To the doctor's suggestion, you wrote a message to the man, in which you told him you wanted to meet him and talk about all that happened. And after a split second, he was already typing, after probably eagerly waiting for you to finally pop up. As an answer, he offered a candle lighted dinner with a lot of answers, which you couldn't say no to. Hidden, of course, you didn't even want to say no either.

This happened during this morning that was followed by a waiting filled midday and afternoon. Seconds felt like hours and hours felt like an eternity. Your throat and stomach were in a constant twist while you were impatiently counting the passed minutes on the clock. Dr. Fletcher glanced at you once in a while, always smiling as she saw your bored expression at the other end of the living room. Because you spent your time there, after your sickness was gone, you preferred to be outside and have some quality time with her. Well.. neither of you could say it was high-quality, but at least you got out from your personal cave after all.

"So Dennis is coming at 7 o'clock, right, Dear?" She started talking to break the silence which brought your attention to the woman in the kitchen.

"Mmmyeah" you hummed, "He said he wants to take me out to a dinner so that he can deliver me food and answers at the same time."

This made the therapist chuckle lightly "Two birds with one stone, huh Dennis? He has some pickups lines that I never expected from him to hear."

You laughed at her answer "Well, he could always cheer me up. He always knows what to say" then suddenly your last conversation flashed up in your mind which washed down the bright smile from your lips. "Well, at least most of the times..."

The woman noticed your sudden realization, so she decided to change the subject instead. "What are you planning to wear tonight?"

Your regard moved back to her who was looking at you with a plate in her hands. "I.. actually didn't really think about that, now that you ask."

This made her put down the object and clap her hands excitedly "Let me help you then! Just like I did back then, before your first date!"

"Alright, alright." You quickly gave in, letting out a flattered laughter. This answer of yours made the smile got even brighter on the therapist's face.

And she wasted no time actually. 

After taking away every dishes she hopped next to you, indicating you to get in her room for the big search. And you did so, laughing lightly at her excitement. This gave a strong vibe from about 1 month ago. When you were nervously waiting for Dennis to take you out somewhere, just like know. And she stood there, in the exact same place, looking for the perfect dress she could lend to you. She was talking excitedly to keep up your mood, to keep away all those thoughts that could ruin this day. She did it now, just like back then, and you were grateful for both. Your being here made her happy and it was vice versa. A lot of times you didn't know what you would have done without her. But she was always here, just like a guardian angel. You could never forget this.

The afternoon sped up with her on your side, the woman wanted to make you look perfect for this dinner. Maybe because she knew this wasn't just a regular date... it was much more than that. So many things depended on this one event. So much that could go wrong, yet so much that could turn into the right direction at the same time. The pressure from this evening was huge, yet she managed to make you forget about all this while you were with her. She really knew how to use the words at the right times.   
__________________________

"So when did you two fix the date again?" She asked, while carefully doing the last touches on your freshly washed and dried hair. You ended up sitting in front of the mirror in the same pitch-black silk dress that you've been wearing back then. So much nostalgy. 

"He said he would be here at 7. So he has actually 5 more minutes." You let out a nervous, yet excited giggle unconsciously which made you stop for a moment. Why were you so happy to see Dennis? You should still be mad at him after all that happened to you. Don't forget this meeting's purpose now.

The sudden ringing of the bell from the front door intervened your trail of thoughts. You felt nerves pooling up in your stomach as you looked at the source out into the living room. Dr. Fletcher, after seeing your reaction, decided to open the door herself, so she walked to it to let the visitor in. You peeked out from the therapist's bedroom sheepishly, feeling that all the confidence you had, flew away by the second as the man stepped into the apartment.

"Dennis, it's good to see you." The woman greeted him warmly like truly nothing had happened between the two of you.

"The pleasure is mine, Doctor." His voice could be heard. You noticed a bouquet of white roses in his hands as he looked around, possibly searching for you. That bouquet... You remembered him bringing one for your first date too. And they were exactly the same... the bouquet of white roses. Letting out a deep sigh you gathered all your strength and approached him with slow steps. His expression immediately changed after seeing you, turning it into a nervous yet warm smile.

"Hey, Dennis." You started the conversation "Ugh.. long time no see." You said it out thinking whether it sounded too awkward or not. Suddenly you felt weird around him, reserved and kind of uncomfortable, but you tried to let these feelings go. You couldn't base anything on the first expression, you already learned this.

"Yeah.." he sighed heavily "I was waiting to meet you, and for me, this was one of the hardest things to do."

A shaky swallow of yours followed his confession. You felt your heart rate started speeding up again. "Well, the waiting is over, fortunately."

"It truly is..." the man smiled at you gently, yet kind of bittersweetly, although you might have just imagined the second one. "This is yours, by the way." he added softly by handing you the bouquet.

"Whoah, these are beautiful." You thanked him as you took the flowers out of his hand carefully.

"But still not as beautiful as you are."

You looked up back at him, kind of startled as the blush appeared on your cheeks. He said this last time too, you remembered it. It was probably just a coincidence, but you couldn't help but think about it more deeply.

"Well, t-thank you" you stuttered it out still surprised by the accuracy of the two events.

"Let me take this" intervened kindly the therapist, cautiously taking away the roses out of your hands. You wanted to hand it to her anyway. "And have fun the two of you!" She smiled first at you then at Dennis with a gentle push on your back to indicate that you should go. She even gave you your coat which you nervously put on as well.

"We will, thanks, Dr. Fletcher." The man answered softly then reached his hand towards you, silently asking you to take it. Of course, that you couldn't refuse it... So taking it, you enlaced your fingers with his which made him give a soft smile as an answer. You returned it, but yours was filled with nerve, doubts, and lots of confusion. He might have noticed it because the one on his face also faded, showing regret and guilt now. 

Both of you really needed that deep conversation.

"Then we're out." you broke the suddenly tensed silence and turned to the therapist. She waved at you with a bright smile, and after that the two of you stepped out of the doorstep, she closed the door behind you. Now there was no going back, you guessed. "Then we're out..." You sighed it out as a repetition, feeling your suddenly heavy heart in your chest.

"You must be wondering where we are going." He said with the purpose to change the topic. "I've planned everything out. Then, shall we?"

Looking up at him, you nodded.

"Alright, let's go."

______________________________________

Dennis told you that he would take you to a restaurant which was not far away, so the two of you started walking to the destination. Along the way, neither of you spoke much to each other. Even though you could see in his eyes that he wanted to talk but didn't find the right opportunity to do so. And you didn't feel the right time either, it would have felt weird to just start talking about stuff free from care like nothing had happened between the two of you. The air became tensed and awkward, yet neither of you released the other's hand for even a minute. You were afraid that if you did, you would lose him completely... and this scared you more than anything.

Suddenly a freezing particle fell onto your face, turning your attention to the sky. It was snowing. And most likely it wouldn't melt soon according to your breath floating up in a small cloud in front of you. It might stay until even Christmas, it would be so nice to celebrate it like this with-... You shook your head warningly to this thought. Why were you already thinking forward? You didn't know your future, you didn't know anything. Everything depended on this conversation that was waiting for you, so stop thinking in such an inconsiderate way. Don't be so naive, never again... Who were you trying to convince though? After all, everyone thought you were known for your hasty, sudden decisions. 

And they were not wrong.

It was already December though, and this fact fascinated you. December.. this meant all in all, one and a half month passed since the incident. Who would have known that this short period of time, how much can turn your life upside down? October felt like an eternity, another life. It didn't feel like you were the same either. Whether you lost or gained something that changed you that much, you were not sure about this. You could only hope that it was for the better.

Not long later Dennis suddenly stopped, indicating that you arrived at the place. The sight of the building froze you in place. "This is the same restaurant..." you murmured quietly but loudly enough for your partner to hear it.

"Yeah, I... thought that it would be nice to repeat our first date."

"With the police and shit?" You smiled at him, having an almost challenging expression.  
This made the man laugh "Not of course" his tone lifted up, probably from a bit of relief. "We've always talked about this, but never actually had the occasion to make up the date we could never have. I mean, of course, if that's fine for you.."

"Sounds nice." You answered lightly. It felt nice knowing that he didn't forget this. Of course, nobody could have forgotten what had happened, but he remembered the fact that you truly talked about repeating this date with much calmer circumstances. It showed how much he really cared.

"Then let's go. They're waiting for us."

"They?" You raised an eyebrow, but instead of giving you an answer, he just insisted you to go inside, so you did.

Stepping into the building, you faced the same receptionist that you once had, but this time after your partner told his name and booking to the man, you two were guided to another room. You looked around the place in amaze as your eyes jumped from the moody faded pink lights to the enormous window in front of the opposite wall, having the scenery of a beautiful park outside. A single, well-decorated table settled in front of the window with a candle that has just been lighted by the waiter.

"I-I didn't know they had a place like this." You murmured still shocked at the sight.

"They do if you insist your order." He smiled at you, lightly squeezing your hand with his fingers as a reassurance.

You felt your face burning up to his answer. Warmth settled down into your stomach thinking about how much he had to deal with others just to organize this date for you. He did all this just for you...

With a gentle pull, he made you walk to the table on his side and sat down on the chair, as the waiter greeted the two of you with a polite bow.

"Sir, Madam, welcome to our restaurant. May I take up your order for a drink?"

"A champagne?" Turned the man towards you.

"Are we celebrating something..?" You raised up your brow with a smirk, having an almost challenging tone of your voice again.

"We might, it depends on the outcome." He threw the ball back to you, which made you chuckle unconsciously.

"Alright, 2 glass of champagne please."

"As you wish." He said, writing down the order into his little notebook, then looked at Dennis "I will come back with the chosen drinks in no time to take up your order." After that, he bowed again and left the table.

Now that the two of you were alone again, you felt your heart start pumping in a faster rhythm. "This place is really nice.." you commented nervously as you looked around once again, having your fingers cracked.

"I promised you a candle lighted dinner, didn't I?"

His answer made you smile again. "Yeah, you did." Looking up to see his face, you noticed that he was showing you a warm smile as well. Suddenly though, having your stomach twisted, your expression faded. "And you also promised something else."

To your response, his smile disappeared too, letting now a serious regard settle down on his face. "You're right. I still owe you an explanation. I wanted to wait for it a bit more until I can make sure we are totally alone, but I assume you don't want to make this any longer." He said, sighing heavily. "And there's nothing wrong with this. You had to wait for so long until this day anyway."

You were looking at him, staring him without a word as you crossed your fingers nervously. A heavy swallow suffocated your lungs as well, feeling the invisible weight pressing them.

His regard wondered to the table, filled with thoughts he wasn't sure how to put together.

"I..." he started in a quiet tone, still struggling with what he was supposed to say. "I think the main reason for your fear is that you don't know the 'why' part of my thinking. The reason. Why did I do what I did? Why was I so obsessed with it? You don't know these reasons, and therefore you're afraid."

"Then please tell me.." you answered with a frown as you crossed your arms pretentiously. As much as you tried to seem strict and commanding, your trembling voice betrayed your disguise. "Please.. I want to understand it."

Dennis bit his lip with a nervous sigh. "You must know a bit from Kevin's childhood. That his mother was... not someone who wanted to play the good mother role. She was a divorced woman, who wanted to raise, no.." his expression darkened suddenly "more likely to make herself a perfect child. A slave or a robot as you wish. Someone who did what he was told without a word."

This sentence of his squeezed the life out your lungs again. Thinking how many common traits she and your uncle had. Well, he didn't want to make you perfect, but obedient and shattered so that you wouldn't come up with the idea of escaping. And you didn't... but self-harm still appeared between your remaining possibilities.

"She was obsessed with cleaning. Although not as someone who has OCD like me, but as a commander who dictated everyone to make everything clear and precise. And whenever someone didn't do her orders, she punished them badly and lasting"

"And that's was when you appeared.." you whispered out.

"Kevin wasn't able to fulfill his mother's rules. Someone who doesn't suffer from OCD can't see those little details who could make us crazy. He needed me to survive this living hell." The man said as he set his glasses precisely. "After realizing what was happening I grabbed control over him and did what she told me to do. And I was paying attention to every little detail to make her satisfied. Years passed until the others came as well. And I lived as Kevin and obeyed patiently."

"It must have been hard for you..." you whispered out without thinking looking at the candle between the two of you. After your comment, you quickly glanced up, realizing what you've just said to meet the guy's surprised expression. He probably didn't expect your sympathy at this point. "And that was the time when you decided to hate the people who were not hurt like Kevin?"

"It certainly played an important part, but no. I've decided next to this belief after seeing what his classmates did to him at school. As the others came, we decided to let him live his life on his own and just pay attention what is happening around him. We knew our task was not only to protect him from his mother. He was unstable." The man stopped and looked down with a deep sigh. For a second, you thought he wouldn't continue the story. "...People are cruel Sweetheart. At least those in high schools definitely were."

Your eyes trembled at the nickname but decided not to bother yourself now. "Were they bullying Kevin..?"

"Oooh yeah..." His lips curled into a fade, bittersweet smile."Since we lived in the poor district, we could only get into a no-name, old and tumbledown school where only low IQ children attended. For some reason, they didn't like Kevin's fractured looking with his shy temper. And whoever became their target, was basically fucked. It was like they joined forces against Kevin. If we hadn't been there, he would have already committed suicide way before."

Your heart squeezed to this thought. You were lucky, considering that your classmates only tried not to acknowledge your presence. Bully was never on the list, since in your school if you didn't make a bad move, they didn't come for you. Kevin must have had less luck. "Did you do something?"

"I decided to accompany Kevin through this hell by using the Light. Fortunately, at that time my sight was better and I didn't need glasses, so I could easily be him anytime. You can only assume that by this, I also undertake the job to stand up against the bullies. And to be honest, I wasn't too successful at it."

"Did they hurt you?!" You asked the almost obvious question though you couldn't help but feel fear, anger, and worry mixed into one mutant emotion inside. Dennis saw these feelings in your eyes which made him surprised and grateful at the same time. You didn't lie about your feelings and he knew that too.

"Yeah, and I took it as long as I could, trying out other possibilities to avoid those brats. I was patient to consume all those cruel actions that would have been for Kevin. It didn't matter if it was a made up prank or simple empty beating up. I wanted to protect Kevin at all cost even if the others were worried about me. They respected that at least I stepped up against the bullshit. That I did at least something. But as we all know... if you stretch the line for too long, it'll tear once." You swallowed shakily at this thought, feeling what happened next. "Then one day, I couldn't take anymore... I remember vividly everything happened in that half an hour." He lifted down heavily his head onto his elbowing arms as he started recalling the incidence. "Those fuckers dragged me outside to the backyard because I didn't want to give them my money. They were 3 and I was alone, fair play as always." He smirked, darkening his tone. "Once again, they commanded me to obey for some of their bullshit, but I wasn't willing to do that so they kicked me in my stomach. Always below the face, so that no one could notice their bully. They made up this plan so easily... Then after that, they called me some shithead to have enough confidence to face them even now. And they told me to stop doing this made up hero behavior because I'll get more if I continue. This was when that certain line tore."

You saw a dark spark in his eyes as a bitter smile crept up on his lips. He was scary, yet besides this intimidating aura, you felt something exciting too. A certain charm that didn't let you go away. Finally, he showed how broken he was maybe for the first time ever. "What did you do?" You asked in a quiet, shaky tone, fearing to break his train of thoughts.

"I remember everything... I remember as my expression darkened and I said 'I had enough of this bullshit. I want to go back, yet I can't let Kevin live next to bastards like you.' And they got terrified in a second!" He chuckled quietly in which you could feel a bittersweet tinkling flowing through. He felt hurt, teared up deep inside which he kept his emotions locked apart for so long. You were grateful for him to trust you enough to open up.

"They didn't dare to do anything suddenly. So I continued, having a wide grin, saying 'You Impures are not worth to live! In this place, here and now, I swear to my life that I'll bring the Monster awake and cleanse the world of those worthless fuckers like you all!'." Dennis let out a painful laughter. "Those faces of theirs... those terrified expressions... I could never forget them. They looked at me with disgust like I was someone who was out of their mind. Like I was.. a monster. He probably thought I was just making up everything, that I totally lost my mind." His expression slowly turned serious again "On that afternoon, I jumped at them for the first time ever, beating them as much as I could so that they could memorize every one of my words' seriousness. I could even break one of their noses. Of course, there were 3 of them and I was alone, so at the end, they left me beaten up in that dark corner of the backyard. But I knew something changed and it really did. Since then, they didn't dare to pick up on me. Instead, they avoided me like I had the plague, an incurable sickness, or like I could simply bring a knife anytime to stab them in the back. Of course, I wouldn't have done that. I had better plans to do."

"Releasing the monster..." You looked away at the melting candle, feeling the thrills chilling down your spine again.

The man looked at you, then seeing your thoughtful regard, he nodded "Yeah. That afternoon incident had consequences though. The others decided to make Barry as their leaders. A patient, open-minded person who could really keep everything in his hands. Since he was a pacifist, he decided to lock me away from the light because I was too aggressive. Me, who did the very most for Kevin to protect him from his mother. From those fuckers. I did something, and Barry did nothing. I suffered, yet I was the one who got banished from the light due to my 'aggressive behavior'..."

Now you could really feel how insulted he really was. The old scars tore up again, bleeding heavily as every memory hurt him like hell. You might have had negative emotions towards this man at the beginning, but now they all got disappeared. And replaced with sympathy. You felt sorry for him, how unfair the life was to him despite everything he'd done. 

You wanted to help.

"Dennis..." you let it out quietly, reaching for his hand through the table, but he pulled his away, and quickly stood up.

"I.. need some fresh air." And he looked down at his shoes suddenly, like he realized what a terrible thing he's just said. "You've heard the truth, my story, my reason why I'm like who I am now. I might have scared you, but I was sincere about everything. It's your decision to believe me... and..." he wanted to finish the sentence, but didn't dare to do it. Instead, he just continued "Nevermind..." and went out the room, leaving you there with that disappearing candle that your heavy feelings pushed deeper with every thought you had.

Sadly or not, you didn't have much time to deal with all this new information because as soon as your partner stepped out of the room, the same waiter joined to you with the ordered beverages on his plate.

"Here are your drinks, a glass of champagne for each of you Madam. Could you choose something from our list at last?" He asked patiently with a bow as he carefully put down the filled up glasses.

You slowly looked up at him, having your head aching from everything that just happened. "I'm sorry, but my partner has just gone out and we didn't discuss the meals yet." You let it out heavily, still having your thoughts far away from this conversation.

The man glanced down at his notebook. "Well, in this case, the Sir had already made up a list for us. Would you give your acceptance to serve them to you, Madam?"

"Uhm sure. Then one of that meal for me, please... And the same for him if his order is not on the list. Otherwise please make them as he asked." You agreed immediately, hoping that it would send him away quickly.

"Alright Madam, thank you for your order." He answered with that same bow, then with a quick turn he left this place in no time fulfilling your wish.

You were alone again. Finally.

When Dennis got back, neither of you brought up the previous topic. He wanted to give you time to process everything he told you, and actually, you did need some time for that. So many new information hit you in such a short time that you still felt your head spinning. Therefore you didn't ask him anything else about his past, his purpose or even the monster. You've heard enough to make you judge. Well, after time. And you had to clear your feeling as well, To make sure what was that you really wanted. And what was that could make your shithole life not that bad.

You needed time to think about that.

So deep silence settled upon you during your waiting. You couldn't say it was uncomfortable, but not pleasant either. It made a neutralized feeling in yourself. A feeling that didn't have an impact on you, just... existed. And neither of you seemed to want to break this neutral atmosphere.

After some minutes or so, you heard the door open again as the waiter came back with your orders. Your eyes followed him as he approached your table and carefully put the plates down.

"Thank you for your waiting. I hope you may have a wonderful night." He said it with a bow then quickly left you again.

You didn't have time to react. Your attention froze at the order, that Dennis chose for you...

It was the same that he had ordered last time.

Alright, this was getting way out of hand. Since the moment he stepped into Dr. Fletcher's apartment with the same flowers, having said the same lines.. And that he brought you to the same restaurant so that he could order the same food for you.

"What is this..?" The question left your mouth cautiously.

"What?" He looked up to meet your eyes. His expression didn't change since the time he had come back, he seemed like everything was normal.

"You know what I'm talking about.." as seriously as you wanted to sound, you couldn't help but chuckle into this sentence "The flowers.. the restaurant... this food. Even your line back when we met!" At this point, you were smiling, but you forced a strict expression onto your face. "Why are you doing this?"

He sighed at your question and intervened his fingers. He might have looked frustrated, but in reality, his voice was smooth  "I told you already. I wanted to repeat that date from back then."

You looked away after his answer. It was just like... something was missing and so you couldn't put the pieces together. Sure it was a nice gesture, but... you felt a deeper purpose. That he was hiding something from you.

And this feeling made you restless all the time. That curious cat side of yours just couldn't let you relax for a second.

Were you stepping into another trap?  
______________________________________

The dinner itself ran away pretty quickly. To be honest, now that this anxious feeling settled upon you, it made you easily stand next to that decision not to stay long in that restaurant. It was for the better to just let your head get fresh anyway.

Dennis asked you to turn your steps towards the park. The park that you knew too well at this point. Just so many things happened here starting with your first kiss through his confession until that dark night when your life suddenly fell apart. So many memories got locked into this place. And somehow, you felt that a new one was about to join as well.

There was a small lake inside of the territory that you've never really acknowledged before. You'd glanced there when you passed this road once in a while with your partner, but that's all. Now it was the first time to get an eye on it... at least as much as the streetlamps let you see in this pitch black night.

Both of you stopped at the side of it, looking at the other shore quietly. His warm hands still locked around your fingers protectively, like he would be worried that you leave him as he let you go. You wouldn't have gone anywhere though. It felt nice now around him, looking at you hot breath appear in the light. Although that feeling still hadn't left you that you needed one more thing. Just one thing to put this together. This bothered you.

"So.." your partner broke the silence after a big sigh, baiting your attention to him. You could hear the insecurity in his voice, it felt like he was a little kid attending on his oral exam, fearing to make any mistakes. "I know this has been bugging you for a while. It's written on your face." He doesn't look back at you, instead, he was staring the small waves that the weak wind generated. "And I'm sorry for not telling you this earlier..."

"Dennis, you can tell me anything, I hope you know that." You smiled at him even he was looking somewhere else.

His lips curled into a smile to your answer "I know.. you're a sweetheart as always." You felt a bit of heat gathering in your cheeks after his comment. "I just...want to explain myself. To let this chaos around us disappear." At first, you didn't really know what he meant by this, but he continued instantly "You were right if you'd thought I had a better purpose with having this date repeating itself..."

Your eyes widened curiously as soon ay you heard his response. "Well then?"

"For me, this wasn't just a regular date. It was our First date and you know.. Everything started with it. With that first kiss that you gave me that night... I could finally feel a true warmth inside after such a long time. I felt... cared. And that I was also able finally to care again."

The strict expression of yours faded to his answer, letting it get exchanged with sympathy and inner warmth. A lonely but bright chuckle left your mouth suddenly, making your partner startle painfully.

"What's so funny about this, may I ask you?"

"Don't get me wrong.." you tried to explain yourself quickly, still having that wide smile on your lips. "I don't laugh at you. It's just... so sweet. You're so sweet to think that."

His expression quickly melted, leaving slight blush on his cheeks. Even if it was like 0°C you could see this just by looking at him. And this made you feel happy. For a second none of you said anything to each other, but you noticed again that kind of struggle on his face that let you know he was still planning to say something.

"There's one more thing actually..." your partner said, proving you right while reaching for your other hand to turn you completely towards him. "I... know that I hurt you in many ways with all this drama. And I feel like that the apology from the restaurant isn't enough. It might be that nothing will be enough to compromise what have I done. But I want you to know how much I want to try. How much you worth to me. How much I love you."

You swallowed nervously, feeling your cheeks burning up again. This sudden confession got your tongue and your watchful eyes became the only reaction to him. And he didn't want to make you wait for his explanation either. You saw as he reached into his pocket, pulling out something. You didn't exactly see what it was at first, but he quickly averted your attention with more explanation.

"I want to clear every doubt that I caused. I want you to trust me again. And I know that this will be a long process, but I want to make the first step." He stopped for a minute, looking at you in all seriousness, as he gathered his remaining strength to continue. Then he lifted his hand with the object. It was a chain of keys. Your eyes widened, somehow feeling what he was about to say. "This is my keys to the zoo. And for the rooms under that." These two sentences made your lungs squeeze in nerves. Suddenly all those memories wanted to burst up again, but you managed to keep them buried inside. "These are the only keys that open those doors which are now locked and will be forever. You can ask Patricia just to make sure, she would know if I had any copies of them."

"What do you want to do with these?" You asked in a shaky tone, already suspecting the answer.

"I want to make everything undone." The man said with a dry voice, then he swang the chain with his hand only to release it towards the lake. Your eyes tensely followed the keys as they dropped into the almost frozen water to be swallowed into the dark void.

For a second, you couldn't say anything. So many thoughts were pressuring your mind that no voice was able to leave your mouth. And so many emotions have gotten over you that you couldn't tell anymore which was the right or bad choice.

You didn't know shit.

And Dennis, he just stood there, next to you, unsure what your blank expression towards the place of the keys could mean. Were you angry? Scared? Doubtful? He didn't know, and to be honest, you either.

"I know this isn't enough to earn your trust back" he continued, bringing your attention to him again "But please, try to believe in me. I will change for you. I will redeem for you. Because I love you more than anything in this world."

"I..." you started after having a shaky inhale, feeling that the emotions were getting to burst out again. "In this week... I felt so lost Dennis... without you..." Tears appeared in your eyes as you slowly continued, feeling that every word would make you weaker. "I felt like I have no place to go... That this world has no place for me... that I h-have n-no reason t-to exist....." and you were crying again. "I-It was l-like the time I-I was with my u-uncle. L-living on the l-line of s-suicide..."

"Shit, come here, come here..." he quickly pulled into his arms, letting you cry on his shoulder as much as you wanted. And you did, trembling and crying like a baby as he was caressing your back with patience. Now everything that gathered up in you during this whole period suddenly burst out with no mercy. "I-I've never been so unhappy l-like I was that n-night Dennis." You sobbed out weakly, squeezing the coat on his back to feel his presence. "Y-You were the only reason to my life a-and I lost you. The despair that I f-felt that night... I never want to feel again. Ever again..." you sighed out quietly, sensing that the crying started to fade now that you were in good hands.

"I'm sorry My Love. I'm so sorry.." Dennis whispered out in a bittersweet tone, showing that guilt came over him now that he heard your feelings. "I don't want to make you unhappy ever again. I promise." He tightened his protecting hug, as he leaned his head to place it next to yours. You could hear his heavy breaths and he could hear yours. Soon, all of the surroundings faded into your mind, letting the two of you enjoy this moment of yours.

Like you two would be the only ones exist in this wicked world.

"I love you so much, Sweetheart." He whispered into your ear like it was a secret that only you could know. And this made your heart pump stronger than ever.

"I love you too Dennis.. I love you so much..." you whispered back, looking up from his shoulder, full of tears but with warmth in your eyes, to lean in for a kiss. And he gave it to you. It was weak and careful but filled with so much love. That it could melt all of the ices from a frozen heart. "Thank you for being here.." you whispered out as both of you separated from each other.

"You're already so adorable. I don't even deserve it to have you." He smiled at you gratefully, which made your shaky lips curl into a smile as well. You couldn't help anymore, you loved this man too much. He became your everything. And you had no complaints about this.

"Let's go home, shall we?" You made up this innocent question, feeling that tears slide down on your cheeks again. But this time they were caused by happiness.

He stopped for a second to your offer, wondering if he heard it right. If this wasn't just an image that he created. But as soon as the reality hit him, a wide and bright grin widened on his lips. Then he placed a kiss on your wet cheek with full warmth in his heart.

"Yeah, let's go home."

And you started walking to his apartment hands by hands, not even sensing the freezing temperature out there. Both of you were warmed up by the other's love.

You knew it was not that easy for Dennis to clear up every mess he'd done. The road for your unquestionable trust was long, but he started going on the road. And you started walking on yours as well. 

Both of you needed time.

 

But this time peacefully, together.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey Guys~♡
> 
> So again, I want to apologize for my disappearance! Thank you so much if you are still somehow with me! It really means a lot!♡
> 
> Now, you might have already noticed, but we reached a certain point in the story. Yes, we're getting to the end. Now that every angst part got a solution, I can assure you, only the kind of... let's say epilogue remained here.
> 
> So ye! We're really getting there guys! And (let's all hope) it won't take that much time to write this time:)
> 
> Love you a lot! Please stay tuned to the very end!~☆


	40. Epilogue

You couldn't say any bad word since that particular date. Dennis truly made everything to redeem himself in your eyes. Of course, the first thing he did was to delete all the files of his project about the monster. To your continuous asking, he struggled, but eventually, he let you see the research about you as well. It was amazing and terrifying at the same time how precise yet wrong he could be with you. How he thought that you lived a happy life with your uncle. So wrong.. though he got all your data in such a short time... his observation skills were truly amazing.. Only if he could use them for the better.

After talking with Patricia, you really did take Dennis' word about that he deleted and destroyed everything from his dark past. This woman might have been cold to you before, but you knew her words were trustworthy. So if she told you that Dennis' intentions were honest now, you believed it. Of course it was still a long way to your trust, but finally, he was on the right path for that.

And now that this drama calmed down, you could concentrate on the next big event rushing towards you: the prom. Well, for you it wasn't such a big deal since you didn't find anyone to dance with in the new school, but actually, Patricia was totally for it. She knew that you would attend it with Dennis, well obviously, but the fact that it was happening, it made her mood lighten up. Whenever this popped up in a conversation with her when you were at Dennis' apartment - well.. at home shall we say - she always got so excited that you were almost not able to stop her. It was kind of funny to see her like this, but it made you smile to think that she could finally open for you as well.

And the time ran like some unknown force was chasing it. You didn't even notice it, but the great day already came and you could visit it with Dennis on your side.

You couldn't be happier to live this.

________________________________

Beautifully played melody.

Light movements.

White, magnificent dresses all around.

Your eyes were intensely following every little figure as your classmates have been dancing in the hall. It was Waltz, the English, slow version of it, which you thought, in the end, would have chosen as well. It didn't turn up in your mind yet, but now it kinda stinks that you couldn't get to participate in this. How funny. You've never really made any effort to make a connection with others, yet now you felt regret to skip this event. You didn't have a partner, but with this attitude, it probably wouldn't even have been anyone to dance with you. So it was fine. Everything happened just like it should have.

You looked up to your partner who was standing next to you. Dennis, sensing your eyes on him, glanced at you then showed a warm smile as he squeezed gently his grab on your waist. You flashed a smile back at him repeating the sentence in your head.

Yeah, everything happened just as it should have.

"They're beautiful, don't you think?" The sentence left your mouth without thinking as you turned your attention back to the dance floor.

Your partner kept his regard for you while answering "You would have been prettier than them Sweetheart."

You couldn't help but giggle "But that means I would have danced with some guy, and you would have been totally jealous of him."

"Well, I guess you're right." He started chuckling as well "That's how it goes. But you know.." he stopped for a split second as he leaned down to place a warm kiss on your cheek "I might prefer this case then because now you're only mine."

"That's true." Your smile brightened "But I'm always yours, don't forget that. Nobody could take me away from you."

"Nobody?" He raised up his brow in a challenging tone.

"Nobody." You answered it quietly, almost whispering like it was a secret of the two of you. Then nestled yourself into his embrace more, you placed your head on his chest. You could feel his heart pounding quickly, almost rushing, showing how it was full of emotions. And you knew they were true, a heart could never lie about its feelings. It made you so happy. 

He made you so happy.

The dancers started elegantly leaving the hall until the song stopped, then all you could hear through your applause was their shouting in happiness that they managed to finish all this hard work of theirs. The storm of applause stopped and the music changed, showing it was time for the guests to take the opportunity and dance with the graduating students. Dennis let you go and precisely cleared his throat. Then with a bow, he elegantly reached his palm towards you.

"May I steal you for a dance Mademoiselle?"

You flashed him a smile, feeling your cheeks burn up. "Anytime." And you took his hand timidly, suddenly sensing a nervous gulp in your stomach. It was not a bad feeling, just... excited. You realized it was actually the first time you danced with Dennis... or with anyone basically. So in the moment that you put your hand on his shoulder and he gently grabbed your waist to pick up the posture, your heart started racing in your chest.

"I-It might have been for the better if I at least try to learn how to dance." You laughed a bit nervously but quickly smoothed everything.

"At least now we're on the same level." This comment of his made both of you laugh "Besides this isn't about dancing. For me, it's really enough if I can spend the time with you." Then he looked deep into your eyes to truly give an emphasis to what he was about to say. "Sweetheart, I know you've heard this millions of times, but I can't say enough how you're the best thing that could happen to me. You've changed me for the better and so I could move on. You brought the harmony into our life that we never had. I can't thank you enough.."

"For what?" You asked the question innocently which he expected as well.

"For being here. With me. Alive. I'm so happy that you exist in my life."

"Dennis.." you stuttered out, feeling suddenly emotional. How could he be so sweet? It made you want to tear up with happiness. But you collected your strength instead. Something pushed your heart for a long time now, and you know it was the right time. "You've changed me so much too. I'm not the same person who you saw at the beginning. It was just a dark shell that I kept around, fearing that if someone finds the real me, they would hurt me. I was weak and vulnerable. But not anymore. Your patience and support for me could open me up in a way that I never thought was possible. Thanks to you, I'm not afraid anymore. Because I know I have someone who I can turn to even if the world ends." To this thought, you bit your lower lip "And you know.." you took a deep breath "until you came, I didn't have any dream about my future. I just tried to survive from one day to another like it was a must, but I hadn't looked forward to the following day actually. But this changed now. I can finally see a light that I can follow." His curious but supportive regard gave you strength to finish "I want to be someone like this to others. To gain their trust and successfully help them when they really need it. Dennis I... I want to be a therapist. And just like Dr. Fletcher, I want to help people suffering from DID."

Looking up nervously into your partner's eyes, you waited for any kind of answer. For a second he didn't say anything but widened his eyes first in surprise, then in.. gratefulness. His lips started shaking "Do you... really mean it?" His voice was weak, but no negative tone could be heard. He just wanted to make sure that he was not misunderstanding the situation.

"I really do." You continued, now a bit more confidently after seeing him touched by it. "You get too little credit that this hurts me. I want to help. To be your voice. Now I know this is going to be a long way..." your voice weakened now that you turned to the facts "B-But I already looked up what I need for getting into a university, and I'll do anything to pass through the exam. Now I have a purpose to fight for. I won't let this opportunity miss." You showed him a strong, confident smile, the best that you could do to make yourself as believable as possible.

And he stopped and let go you. He just stood there for a moment until tears appeared in his eyes. He quickly wiped them off before they could fall down but still, they were there. You've never actually seen him cry before, so it startled you as well.

"Dennis?" You asked suddenly worriedly.

But he quickly showed you a smile in return "I'm fine, it's just..." he tried to find the perfect words for it "God, just why do you have to be so adorable. Come here." He said and opened his arms, indicating you to hug him. And you did, so his arms closed into a warm embrace. "You don't know how happy you made me by this Sweetheart."

"So this means you'll support me?"  You let it out again in an innocent tone that just made his embrace tighter.

"I will by every part of me. Speaking of that, I'm sure the other would as well. You know..." he started softly "I would have never asked you for this. But hearing it with my own eyes from your mouth. I couldn't be grateful enough. I've got so much support already, that from now on I'll give you even more in exchange."

"What are you even talking about?" You giggled at him warmly.

"You can't avoid my love, got it?" He laughed sweetly and lightly "By the way did you already tell this to Dr. Fletcher?"

"No, it's still a mystery in front of her." You answered with a smile.

"Then I guess we should have a meeting at her apartment."  He suggested the idea "And don't worry I'm sure she will support you by the bottom of her heart."

"Do you think so?"

He showed you a sweet, warm smile. "I was never so sure in anything else in my life." Then like suddenly made up in his mind "Oh except one thing."

"And what is it?" You asked, already grinning.

"That I love you more than anything in this world."

Even if it was not possible at this point, but you could feel your smile widen to his answer. Your heart pounded so fast that it could break out of your chest. It almost hurt, but you would carry this pain anywhere in this case.

"I love you too Dennis. Thank you for everything." You answered finally, leaning into a soft kiss that felt even sweater this time. Maybe the atmosphere caused this, but you didn't mind. You didn't want it to end anyway. If you would just suddenly collapse and this kiss would be the last, that would have been fine as well. At least you got a really sweet end. But of course, this was not the case. The kiss continued, and both of you could feel the true and pure love of the other. You believed in this love more than anything.

Only the change of the music could disturb this sweet moment of yours. Dennis pulled back and you already felt his absence, but before you could ask for more, he showed you a gentle smile. "Well, the night is still young. So it would be a shame if I could only get one dance from this pretty lady, don't you think?" And he reached out his hand once again. "So shall we?"

You looked at his palm at first, still processing his ask, but when it hit you, a curl appeared on your lips too. "Yeah, you're right." You giggled, accepting his offer.

And you started to dance again, now with a bit more of confidence. Who wanted to rush anyway? The night was still young, just like Dennis said. But apparently not just the night. Your life as well. You couldn't get greedy and want everything at the same time, didn't you? In that case, what would remain for the rest? You didn't know but didn't want to know yet either. The only thing you were sure in was that a chapter finished in your life. But it didn't make you worry even a bit since whenever a door closes, a new would open. And you knew another chapter started, another door opened for you at the moment when you met Dennis. Now it was still unknown and full of surprises. 

But you were not afraid of it anymore. 

Because you knew he was on your side as well. He did it. He made you stronger than ever. 

You felt unstoppable.

 

.

.

.

And it was all thanks to Dennis.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey Guys!~☆
> 
> So, we're here... and Oh My God! 
> 
> I actually can't believe that thanks to YOU I had enough willpower to finish this huge project!
> 
> 167k reads, 40 chapters, more than 100,000 words and almost a whole year!
> 
> Unbelievable!
> 
> I can't even express how grateful I am. Seriously. On the 31st of January, 2017, when I watched Split for the first time in the cinema, I had never DARED to think that I could make something like this. And I'm 1000% sure that I would have never finished it if it wasn't for YOU. But hey this doesn't mean that didn't enjoy any split second of it hehe.
> 
> Now of course not every moment was full of smile and sunshine when I wrote. When half of my chapter just suddenly disappeared when I misclicked or when I had the well-known writer-block... But I got eventually through everything.
> 
> For the plot, I hope I didn't make the story too slow and boring around the 25-35 chapters. To be honest I don't even know where I was going with that plot. But well I somehow made the story into a completed one. And now I feel like a bit more completed too! Like a chapter finished in my life as well!
> 
> Finally, I feel like I'm completely satisfied with Split. I don't feel an absence anymore like when you watch a movie and you want to watch it again and again. Now I feel like I can move on as well.
> 
> I don't think I would continue this story. For me, it's completed how it is in its current form. And this is enough for me. If I would ever write about it again, it would be only some kinky smu- I mean oneshot of Dennis hehe. In general, I prefer the darker stories anyway. But I don't think this would happen anytime soon. Well, I'm still curious about your opinion about this, maybe~ But yes, I'll definitely finish this project at its current stage.
> 
> I hope I could enjoy you with my writing at least enough to escape from the everyday's world. For me, Captured was a whole hell of an emotional rollercoaster, and hopefully, some of it could stick onto you as well.
> 
> I love you all who reached this very end or just helped me through my chapters. YOU are truly the everyday's heroes!
> 
> [Anyway I hope that my last chapter didn't turn out too short, I wanted it to have full of only emotion so this made it shorter than ever lol.]
> 
> Just some words about my plans:
> 
> \- I want to continue writing - It'll be a little harder though because the school will be a lot harder from now on. But I'm planning to make a shorter (I mean not 40-chapter long) story of Newt Scamander from Fantastic Beasts. He's been creeping with me through this whole year and I want to feel this 'satisfied' feeling just like I feel with Split now.
> 
> \- I also plan to make Oneshots, since there are a few games that interests me (like Life is Strange or The Evil Within 2, maybe Resident Evil 7) but these are unsure plans, I don't know if I'm gonna be able to make them happen.
> 
> Anyway if you're interested in them (mostly in my Newt story) then I'm gonna wait for you in that story. You're always welcomed here!
> 
> Now for the last time, I want to say thank you from the bottom of my heart, so:
> 
> THANK YOU SO MUCH!
> 
> And I wish you a Merry Christmas! Hope this final chapter could be my Christmas present for YOU!
> 
> Bye Bye!~☆
> 
> Keira: OUT!


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